Early primary may be in the cards

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

ANNAPOLIS — Lawmakers are taking another stab at moving the gubernatorial primary from September to June — an effort that died in 2005 due to a division among Democrats.

The proposal would shift the election from the second Tuesday after the first Monday in September to the same spot on the calendar in June.

Democrats floated the idea of holding an earlier primary in 2006 ahead of what was expected to be a bruising race for the party's gubernatorial nomination between then-Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley and then-Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan.

Party leaders, including Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert, Prince George's) and U.S. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md., 5th) feared a rough-and-tumble contest — and a similarly crowded primary for U.S. Senate — would fracture Democratic alliances, drain campaign coffers and damage either man's chance of defeating Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., with only two months separating the primary and general elections.

But numerous House Democrats, including Speaker Michael E. Busch, felt the maneuver was overtly partisan and would create logistical problems for election boards, effectively killing the idea before it gained momentum.

"It looked like the legislature was trying to slant the field for a couple of those [Democratic] candidates" in 2006, said Busch (D-Anne Arundel), who expressed a willingness to revisit the measure now, in a nonelection year, when political calculations are less explicit.

Del. Barbara A. Frush (D-Prince George's), the bill's sponsor, believes an earlier primary will make life easier for candidates, whose campaigns typically generate little attention in the summer, and for election boards, which must manage a quick turnaround from the primary to general elections.

"Having the election in June is a much better [way] of engaging the public," she said, adding that it would fall before the school year ends and families leave for vacations.

A small number of states, including Virginia, California and New Jersey, hold their primaries in June.

Miller still likes the idea of an earlier primary. "It gives people a much greater time to focus on the real issue, which is the difference between Democrats and Republicans," he said.

From a partisan standpoint, Miller suggested a longer timeframe between elections would benefit Democrats.

The GOP has made gains in Maryland only when Democrats became fiercely divided during a primary race and were unable to come together before the general election, he said, pointing to the 1966 Democratic primary won by George P. Mahoney. A bitter split within the party enabled Mahoney, a staunch segregationist, to capture the nomination over several more highly-regarded candidates. In the general election, many Democrats backed Republican nominee Spiro T. Agnew over Mahoney.

An earlier primary might not be bad news for Republicans, said House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Calvert, St. Mary's). "This may have some advantages for us that we haven't been able to contemplate yet," he said.

State elections officials support lengthening the period between elections.

"We would support the effort because the timeline between a September primary and a November general is extremely tight and barely allows the necessary tasks to be performed," said Donna J. Duncan, director of the state board's election management division.

abrody@somdnews.com