By Maria Tsigas
Capital News Service
Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2002

COLLEGE PARK - Republican challenger Scott Conwell thinks he has a
real chance of unseating Rep. Benjamin Cardin, D-Baltimore, in the
heavily redrawn 3rd District.

"Forty-five percent of the district is new for Cardin, they have never voted for him," said Bill Moulds, political adviser for the Conwell campaign.

But 100 percent of the voters are new to Conwell, whom even fellow Republicans said they were not familiar with.

"It's going to be very difficult for Conwell," because Cardin is entrenched in his seat, said state Sen. Robert Kittleman, R-Howard. Still, he said he was glad that Conwell was running against Cardin, because "everybody should be challenged."

Conwell has been conducting a low-cost, grass-roots campaign this summer, aimed at getting out in the district to shake hands, pass out fliers and buttons and meet the people face to face.

But Cardin is not taking the race for granted, said campaign officials, particularly since it was redistricted this year to include parts of Baltimore City and Baltimore, Howard and Anne Arundel counties.

"The 3rd congressional district has been reshaped drastically as a result of the recent redistricting, and the congressman has been busy introducing himself to his new district," said Jamie Fontaine, his campaign manager.

Cardin has the luxury of a $567,106 campaign war chest, according to
the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission.

The majority of Cardin's contributions have come from political action
committees, accounting for $364,457, or 64 percent of his total
contributions.

Health care concerns -- the eight-term House member says in campaign literature that he has been "a leading Democratic voice on health care policy" -- contributed $83,500, while the finance and insurance industry gave $82,106 and organized labor chipped in with $68,350, according to FECInfo.com, an independent campaign finance Web site.

By contrast, Cardin's three challengers -- one Democrat and two Republicans -- have yet to raise the minimum $5,000 that requires an FEC filing.

Conwell believes that the money will not predict the winner in this
race.

"It shouldn't be about the money, it should be about the people and
the vote," Moulds said.

He said the Conwell campaign does not need a half-million dollars to
present a real challenge to Cardin. But he and Conwell conceded that they
will have to raise some money. They are planning two large fund raisers,
one at the end of August and "a big one at the end of September," that
they hope will give them a big push before the elections.

Fontaine said the Cardin campaign is not taking any challenger for
granted and, with the added challenge of redistricting, the campaign has
been "raising funds accordingly."

But pollsters say Cardin need not worry.

Carol Arscott of Gonzales/Arscott Research & Communications said she
did not even know who was running against Cardin. She went on to say that
she does not believe redistricting will hurt him.

"The best chance any Republican has at winning Cardin's seat would be
when he retires, and it would still be difficult, but possible," Arscott
said.

Larry Harris, a principal with Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc.,
said his firm has not conducted any polls in the 3rd District.

"Ben Cardin is a shoo-in; I've never heard of Scott Conwell," Harris
said.

Conwell is not listening to the conventional wisdom. He said he is
getting "great response" from the people he is meeting on the campaign
trail. He predicted the race would heat up after the primary.

"This is a real race," he said.

Copyright © 2002 University of Maryland College of Journalism