Washington Whispers
No. 2 Democrat Is Maryland's No. 1
Get ready to hear a lot more about the Terps, Francis Scott Key, and the glorious blue crab if the Democrats take charge of the House in this week's midterm elections. That's because Mr. Maryland, Rep. Steny Hoyer, is set to move in as the House majority leader, the No. 2 slot behind likely Speaker Nancy Pelosi, by reason of, in no small part, his coast-to-coast campaigning-37 House districts in October alone. "Yeah, you could call him 'Mr. Maryland,'" says a pal. More than any other Maryland House member, Hoyer wears his state colors for all to see. Start with the University of Maryland, his alma mater. He's a regular at Terrapin games and even has a carved turtle on his desk. His betting currency of choice is lump crabmeat. Then there are his replicas of historical Maryland scenes like the Revolutionary War battle at Fort McHenry, which led Key to write "the Star-Spangled Banner."
There's also a softer side to the 67-year-old "Silver Fox." He has helped to establish "Judy Centers," named for his late wife, throughout the state to help in early-childhood development. And every day, he brings his English springer spaniel, Charlotte, to his office, where she guards the Maryland seal at the entrance.
But don't ask him about moving his Maryland museum to the majority leader's office. Like a superstitious skipjack captain, he's not going there until it happens.
A Compliment but Steeped in Politics
No, Vice President Dick Cheney wasn't losing his mind last week when he said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is a formidable 2008 presidential candidate who can win. Insiders say he was telling the truth-and trying to invigorate his base in the GOP against a familiar but recently quiet foil. "That was good for us," says a Bushie. "You'll see more of that."
Why a Rice-Obama Race Isn't Crazy
Pollster John Zogby is following a trend in next week's midterm elections that could have a huge impact in the 2008 presidential race: Will black Republicans win black votes? He thinks they will, just as when about 40 percent of the Hispanic vote moved into the GOP column in 2004, breaking the proverbial political barrier. He's focused on Maryland Senate candidate Michael Steele, the lone black Republican seeking statewide office who could win. What would it take? Zogby thinks if 20 percent or more vote Steele, it will represent a major shift away from the Democrats and signal what he's dubbed "the Emerging African-American Icon." It could have a huge impact in 2008. Just think, he says, if Secretary of State Condi Rice runs for president and gets 25 percent of the black vote to add to the Republican base. Bingo-front-runner. And, he adds, let's say media favorite Illinois Sen. Barack Obama challenges Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. If he gets half of the black vote, which is 25 percent of the Democratic base, "it thrusts him at least into the high second tier" of candidates, and maybe, maybe, we have the first ever black-versus-black presidential campaign.
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