The Washington Post has profiled the congressional careers and approaches of the frontrunners for the Democratic senatorial nomination, Ben Cardin and Kweisi Mfume:
While the Post characterizes Cardin as taking more an insider strategy than Mfume, both seem like sharp politicians who know how to use their personal strengths to pursue their goals in Congress.Cardin pursues "a classic insider strategy," said Christopher Deering, a political science professor at George Washington University. "Here's a guy who knows where the power is."
Cardin said in an interview at his Baltimore County campaign office that he is "very quietly" preparing a bid for the Senate Finance Committee -- the chamber's counterpart to Ways and Means -- if he is elected. "It's known to people in the Senate that I want to be on the Finance Committee," he said. But, he said, he is focused first on the primary Sept. 12 and the election Nov. 7.
Mfume "has got fairly consummate political skills" and would gain immediate national attention if elected, said Ronald Walters, a government and politics professor at the University of Maryland. "When you're one of the few blacks in the Senate, you're a celebrity," Walters said, noting the spotlight on Barack Obama (D-Ill.), now the chamber's only black senator. "They are expected to carry a great deal of water for minority populations all across the country. People want to see, feel and touch them."
Mfume's legislative niche is not as clearly defined as Cardin's. But he names three Senate committee assignments that would appeal to him: Foreign Relations; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
In the House, Mfume served on two committees his entire tenure: Small Business and Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs. He used his positions to support minority-owned businesses and promote equal housing opportunities.
