Steele Election Backlash in Maryland

The election might be over, but for some in the Free State, the acrimony remains.

Last Tuesday, a gubernatorial race and an open senate seat in Maryland led to one of the most exciting and hotly contested election nights in Maryland's history. But questions about the last-minute campaign tactics of some Republican candidates have infuriated voters, started legal inquiries, and may ruin careers.

An election day flier authorized by Republicans Michael Steele and Robert Ehrlich purported to be a "Democratic Sample Ballot." It mislead voters into believing that Steele and Ehrlich were running on the Democratic ticket in the very blue state of Maryland. Deception is certainly nothing new in political campaigns, but neither is the tactic of targeting the minority vote for disenfranchisement.

The flier was distributed at minority polling places and used the images of prominent black leaders in the state, above the words, "These are OUR Choices."

While former Prince George's County Executive Wayne Curry, who was pictured on the flier, actually had endorsed Steele, he had not endorsed Ehrlich. The other two men pictured had endorsed neither Steele nor Ehrlich.

Current County Executive Jack Johnson strenuously objected to his image being used under false pretenses, and held a press conference to denounce the flier, saying, "We have folks that are running for the highest offices in this country that are using tactics that are false. What example is that to our young people?"

At first, it was thought that the fliers may have been manufactured by an outside group and that the Republican candidates were not responsible. Republican hopeful Scott Rolle, who was running for Attorney General, was especially dubious, because he was not endorsed on the flier - his Democratic opponent was.

But when witnesses were interviewed on camera, the notion that Steele and Ehrlich had nothing to do with the fliers became unsustainable.

Electioneers handing out the misleading pamphlets turned out to be hundreds of homeless people, particularly blacks, bussed in from Philadelphia in the wee hours of the morning. They had been promised $100, some donuts and coffee to hand out the misleading literature at the polls - particularly in Prince George's County, where the African American vote is dominant.

Those interviewed said that upon disembarking, they were greeted by a woman who identified herself as Mrs. Ehrlich, the Governor's wife. Some of the homeless also claimed to have met candidate Michael Steele upon arrival.

When asked, neither Steele nor Ehrlich denied their involvement with the flier or the homeless electioneers. And according to the New Republic, both candidates were involved in a similar incident four years ago, using local homeless people. But that turned out to be a debacle, with the homeless staging a protest when they weren't paid as promised, which may have prompted both campaigns to recruit from out-of-state this time.

As it turns out, the Philadelphia homeless were no more enchanted than their predecessors. Because they were from Pennsylvania, many said that they had not known who the Maryland candidates were and therefore didn't realize that the fliers were misleading. They expressed anger at having been duped.

Jonathan Keel, one of the homeless workers from Philadelphia, said they were "hoodwinked" by the campaigns. "We were just hired to do a job. We're broke. We're in a terrible situation."

"I feel like I was brought here under false pretenses," Kevin Baker said.

Another of the homeless men being paid $100 for the day said he understood that he was missing his own election in Pennsylvania, but, "I guess I sold my vote to buy a coat."

According to sources in Prince George's County, some of the homeless weren't even given a ride home, and ended up seeking shelters in Maryland to find a place to sleep for the night.

In hindsight, the campaign tactic was a failure. Both Steele and Ehrlich lost the election, and Prince George's County voted overwhelmingly against them both.

But that hasn't soothed tempers. Angry Prince George's County residents seem ready to mete out retribution at the ballot box and their first targets may be the six local Democrats that actually did endorse Steele. Those Democrats have denied all connection with the flier and the homeless campaign workers, but voters remain angry that they could have supported a man who would use such tactics.

Those Democrats are clearly feeling the heat, because Councilman Harrington felt compelled to defend himself. He said that although he endorsed Steele, "I didn't pass out literature for Michael Steele. I didn't do campaigning for Michael Steele."

Meanwhile, Maryland's Attorney General will be discussing legislation to prevent such electioneering in the future.