Maryland voters decide Tuesday if William Donald Schaefer will remain in public life or go loudly into the night, after a state comptroller’s race that has been dominated by the two-term incumbent’s unpredictable behavior and cranky commentary.
Analysts who have watched usually sleepy campaigns for comptroller in past years said the three-way battle in Tuesday’s Democratic primary has evolved into a tight race among Schaefer, Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens and state Delegate Peter V. Franchot, D-Montgomery. The election, they said, will be less a vote for a state office than a referendum on Schaefer himself.
“If you asked 90 percent of the voters what’s important in the next comptroller, people would be struggling to define those qualities and characteristics. The election’s really about William Donald Schaefer. Or not,” said Keith Haller, president of Potomac Inc., a firm that conducts polls for the media. “It’s about a larger-than-life persona who’s teetering on inappropriate behavior, certainly for a statewide politician.”
Haller said most of the races in Schaefer’s 51-year political career have been a “big yawn,” with the iconic former governor and Baltimore mayor rolling over opponents. But that has changed in recent weeks, as Schaefer has targeted Owens – and to a lesser degree, Franchot – with personal attacks for which he remains unapologetic.
“His political livelihood is on the chopping block in a way no one would have anticipated several weeks ago,” Haller said.
Recent polls suggest that Maryland voters may have grown weary of Schaefer’s quirky personality. A Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies poll conducted Aug. 18-25 on behalf of the Owens campaign showed Schaefer leading Owens by a mere 4 points (34 to 30 percent). Franchot held 15 percent of the vote in the poll.
Political analyst Frank A. DeFilippo said the most telling number in the poll is the 21 percent of undecided voters, which he interpreted as people who are “pretty much decided that they’re not going to vote for Schaefer.”
But some experts said none of the candidates should approach next week’s vote with any degree of certainty.
“This is one of those contests where a pundit who pretends to know is merely spinning himself. It’s totally up for grabs,” said Herb Smith, a political science professor at McDaniel College. “I would not be surprised by any outcome.”
In challenging a politician whose name is as synonymous with Maryland as a steamed crab, Owens and Franchot have faced an uphill battle.
“It’s tough operating from a limited geographic area,” Haller said. “You have to hope for widespread attention by the media.”
Much of that attention, however, has been dominated by Schaefer’s colorful criticisms, particularly his recent description of Owens as “Mother Hubbard” and a “great-great-grandmother.” Meanwhile, Franchot has more quietly reeled in endorsements from The Baltimore Sun and The Washington Post, as well as several environmental, labor and Democratic groups.
For her part, Owens has campaigned with the slogan “It’s time,” suggesting to voters that Schaefer should finally exit Maryland politics. Her campaign Web site emphasizes her “conservative approach to fiscal management” and “smart growth” policies that have preserved open space during her two terms as county executive.
Though Schaefer