Kullen leaning on labor for support in tough campaign

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Photo by Kristopher Connor Del. Sue Kullen (D-Calvert) speaks to a group of well-wishers, including representatives of Maryland unions, several of which have endorsed her, at a fundraising breakfast Friday morning, May 19, at the Rod ‘N’ Reel restaurant in Chesapeake Beach. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

If Kullen (D-Calvert) returns to Annapolis next January, the union support will likely be one of the chief reasons.

‘‘My issues are aligned with theirs,” she said, citing her record on education, the environment and working-class families.

About 50 union representatives honored Kullen Friday at a breakfast touting her legislative accomplishments since she was appointed in August 2004 to replace former Del. George W. Owings, who is now Veterans Affairs Secretary. It also enabled Kullen to solicit funds and drum up support among her most loyal backers, one day after hosting a birthday fundraiser in Prince Frederick that yielded about $15,000, according to campaign aides.

‘‘Her voting record speaks for itself,” said Bud Hanbury, an Owings resident who is president of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 77. ‘‘She votes for the rights of working people.”

When she was appointed, citizens knew little about Kullen, a longtime disabilities advocate who lacked political experience. Some Democrats even questioned whether she could maintain the seat beyond 2006.

Over the past two years, Kullen has concentrated on building name recognition and mounting a campaign war chest with modest contributions from dozens of individuals and political action committees.

She’ll need broad support to defeat her likely opponent in the November general election, Calvert County Commissioners’ President David F. Hale, a Republican who has performed well at the polls in 1998 and 2002. As the county’s top elected official, he is also well known in the community.

Kullen agrees that her competition is tough and said labor turnout will be important up and down the ticket.

‘‘I’m not sure labor has had a chance to wake up these last couple of years, because you’ve had a ‘talk to the hand’” reception, she said, noting that unions can make their voices heard at the polls.

Already, labor unions and trade organizations have proven to be a major cash cow for Kullen. Campaign finance reports show about 25 percent of the $46,000 she raised in 2005 came from PAC’s, while Hale reported no PAC money out of his $41,000.

‘‘You can’t 100 percent rely on folks back home,” Kullen explained. ‘‘When you need to raise $150,000, you need to look to PAC’s.”

Her two biggest donors — Service Employees International Union and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers — were among the unions that on Friday recognized Kullen’s ‘‘100 percent” voting record on labor issues during the past legislative session.

‘‘As a freshman, she has demonstrated the ability to identify and decide and act on the issues having the greatest positive impact on all Maryland workers,” said Ron Milligan, a St. Leonard resident who is president of International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 10.

‘‘There are probably 8,000 households in Calvert [County] that are labor families and my job is to represent them,” Kullen said. ‘‘I’ve been doing a good job with that and I think labor considers me a friend.”

Still, she has vowed not to stray from her grassroots approach that includes attending nearly every public event within her district, from community meetings to girl scout pinnings to award presentations.

‘‘PAC’s can’t vote for you,” Kullen said matter-of-factly.

Meanwhile, private businesses and individual donors have helped to fill Hale’s campaign coffer. Developers, both in and out of Calvert, have contributed thousands of dollars, while Hale himself has put in more than $5,000 of his own money, according to campaign finance data.

And because Hale has spent little on campaign functions or political advertisements to date, he possesses more than $51,000 — almost twice that of Kullen — leading some political observers to believe the incumbent is actually the underdog.

‘‘To have recruited someone like Hale with that kind of name recognition means that the Republican Party at the state level will certainly be paying attention to making sure he does well,” said Zach Messitte, a political science professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

That probably means local fundraisers with Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) and Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele (R), a candidate for U.S. Senate, will be geared to help Hale as well as the more prominent Republicans, Messitte said.

Hale could not be reached for comment.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert, Prince George’s) told the union representatives that Kullen has proven her political worth in just two years and deserves to be elected to a full four-year term. ‘‘Sue’s going to have the resources and with your help, she’s going to have the votes,” he said.

E-mail Alan Brody at abrody@somdnews.com.