Targeted legislators dispute attack ads

Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006

The brochures have elicited a range of responses — from fury to indifference — but most candidates say they believe voters understand the intent of such ads and put little credence in them. ‘‘In this instance, people are telling me this is baloney,” said Del. Anthony J. O’Donnell, the House’s No. 2 Republican.

The three-term incumbent who represents the southern half of Calvert and a small chunk of St. Mary’s has been a vocal advocate for Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) and Democrats are eager to unseat him, which is evidenced by the party’s direct-mail campaign. O’Donnell dismissed the ‘‘Taxman Tony O’Donnell” piece, which shows a toilet with money being flushed, calling it ‘‘laughable” and a deceptive ploy to distort his record. He often touts his opposition of tax increases pushed by House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel), who is backing Democratic challenger Norma Powers of Dowell.

Another target of the negative postcards is Del. John Bohanan (D), whose St. Mary’s district is politically balanced and considered in play. He alleges that a pair of ads criticizing his record is both inaccurate and hypocritical. The postcards deride Bohanan for supporting legislation that would have given illegal immigrants in-state tuition rates.

Legislative records show Bohanan backed similar bills in 2002 and 2004, but opposed a 2003 bill that would have put illegal aliens on par with in-state collegians. The glossy ad, paid for by the Republican House Slate Committee, erroneously lists that Bohanan supported the bill in 2003. He said in a press release the mailings are intended to ‘‘shock voters” rather than present factual information. He called the criticism of the 2002 bill hypocritical because all but two GOP lawmakers also backed it. He defended the 2004 proposal as a much tougher version of the previous year’s plan. All three versions died, including the 2003 bill, which Ehrlich vetoed.

Freshman Del. Sue Kullen (D) is also under attack in literature distributed in her northern and central Calvert district. One brochure condemns her vote to prevent state takeover of 11 underperforming Baltimore schools. It urges recipients to vote against Kullen, but does not name her GOP challenger, Calvert County Commissioners’ President David F. Hale.

A similar leaflet, which shows an intravenous bag filled with money, slams her vote to support medical malpractice reform that levied a 2 percent tax on health maintenance organizations.

The incumbent defended her positions as being in line with Calvert’s viewpoints and refused to apologize for her votes. ‘‘I would vote the same way on these bills,” she said.

Kullen said she is not surprised, but disappointed, that the state GOP has resorted to negative ads, which she believes will backfire because she refuses to engage in the strategy. ‘‘I don’t appreciate the outside influence and I don’t appreciate David’s ability to not control his party,” she said, suggesting that Hale broke his promise to keep the race clean.

Charles County’s sole Republican legislator, Del. W. Daniel Mayer, said attack ads are rarely effective.

‘‘Sometimes the effect those have are opposite of what they are intended,” he said. ‘‘I don’t think it’s popular with a lot of people. I think it sells press and it keeps printing companies in business. People are out here looking for positive statements from their leaders, not for statements bashing the other guy.”

‘‘It doesn’t surprise me that those things are floating about,” said Zach Messitte, a St. Mary’s College of Maryland political science professor. ‘‘This is what happens two weeks out before an election every four years.”