Here’s a phrase you don’t read very often this year: “[The Democratic nominee] stuck closely to his campaign talking points, while [the Republican] — whom observers said had more to gain from a strong debate showing because he trails in the most recent polls — pulled material from a wider pool of topics.”
That’s how the Baltimore Sun described last night’s Maryland gubernatorial debate between incumbent Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) and the man he beat four years ago to get the job, former Gov. Bob Erlich (R). The race is a rare bright spot for Democrats, with polls showing O’Malley leaving Erlich in the dust as the election nears. (The TPM Poll Average shows O’Malley leading 49.6-43.1.)
So did Erlich get the job done last night and set the stage for a reversal of the polling trend? Doesn’t sound like it from the Sun‘s writeup. The pair squared off on federal spending, taxes, fees, schools and who did a better job managing the state’s criminal DNA database, but didn’t break new ground on any topic. “Many of the arguments Monday could have been made four years ago, the first time the two candidates faced each other,” the paper writes.
The most exciting drama of the evening may have come when no one was talking at all, as the paper describes:
The debate hit a speed bump before it started, as Ehrlich’s team complained that the audience was unexpectedly dotted with top Maryland Democrats, including Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Rep. Elijah Cummings and many others.
“There was a lot of discussion,” Ehrlich spokesman Andy Barth said. “We really didn’t feel it was right.”
The Baltimore Jewish Council, which sponsored the debate, could invite 50 members, and each candidate was permitted 10 members, said Arthur C. Abramson, executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council.
The disagreement over the audience caused a 20-minute delay — though later Ehrlich denied all the Dems in the audience was an issue: “If I had a problem with that, I wouldn’t run in this state,” he said.
The candidates are set to debate again this week, meeting for an hour-long forum this Thursday.
