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.