Looking for a reason to get involved this election cycle? Look no further than Michael Steele, running for Senate in Maryland against Democrat Ben Cardin. I was lucky enough to get to talk to him for a few minutes on the campaign trail yesterday. Click to watch the interview.
Y'all know I love this guy. The Baltimore Sun poll put Cardin up just 6 this week, which is saying something coming from the Baltimore Sun. Yesterday’s press conference in Annapolis was an announcement of endorsements of Steele by a number of black Maryland clergymen and women, mostly from the Baltimore area.
The other day, when Steele received the endorsements of several prominent, black Democrat politicians in his home county of Prince George's, I knew that was significant. If he can make a dent in the Democrats' black vote in that majority black county, he has a serious shot. But I wondered if he was able to make similar inroads in Baltimore, which is the state's other majority black area. It's not his home turf up there, but Cardin's. From the looks of things, he is making progress, and folks are beginning to call this race a toss-up.
Steele is smart, fun to listen to, and really good on his feet. He's also a committed conservative who has some ideas for boosting the black community and helping the poor of Maryland without making all the help about government programs. He pointed to private, faith-based programs run by the clergy present as often more effective than the federal government. All of the speakers who took the podium were excited, passionate, committed to Steele, and vocal Democrats.
That is something of a sea change. If Steele can pull this off, and I think he can, it's a significant win for the Republican Party, and I think, for the black community of Maryland. All the speakers to take the podium conceded that being wedded to the Democratic Party had not been an effective road out of poverty for much of that community.