Two months ago, five term Maryland Senator Paul Sarbanes (D) announced that he would not seek another six years in the Senate. This set off a mad dash among Democrats, and almost immediately, a fierce primary battle began to brew (Maryland is a fairly solid blue state).

Former NAACP President/former Rep. Kweisi Mfume was the first Democrat to throw his hat into the ring; soon thereafter, Rep. Albert Wynn (D) announced he was out of the Senate race, but Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D) indicated he might be in. Now, as E.J. Kessler reports for Forward (pulling double duty, I might add), the race is down to Mfume and Rep. Ben Cardin (D) -- an African-American and a Jew.

Racial tensions are simmering in Maryland's Democratic senatorial primary race, in which a nationally known black leader, former congressman Kweisi Mfume, is squaring off against a white congressman, Ben Cardin, who is Jewish.

While the contest is still in its early stages, and other candidates — both black and white — may enter the race, the primary is proving awkward for Maryland Democrats, who are heavily dependent on black votes in state races.

[...]

The Senate race also comes as a Jewish and an African-American communal leader have been at loggerheads over a planned October rally of the Millions More Movement, the 10th anniversary commemoration of Washington's Million Man March. A consortium of African-American groups, including the Rev. Lewis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam, is convening the rally. The national director of the Anti-Defamation League, Abraham Foxman, called on African-American leaders to reconsider their support for the rally because of Farrakhan's involvement, citing the reverend's many antisemitic speeches. But hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, chairman of The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, criticized Foxman for his challenge, saying in a letter that he was "misguided, arrogant, and very disrespectful of African-Americans and most importantly your statements will unintentionally or intentionally lead to a negative impression of Jews in the minds of millions of African-Americans."

In contrast to the debate over the rally, the tension in the Maryland primary race "is not black-Jewish," said University of Maryland political science professor Thomas Schaller, a Cardin supporter. "It's black-white." However, he added that it could take an anti-Jewish turn depending on the dynamics of the campaign. Schaller said he expects Cardin to rack up some African-American endorsements.

Asked if the race was stoking black-Jewish tensions, Howell said: "Too often it's perceived by many people of color that a lot of times ethnic nominees don't get the full support of the Democratic Party. They don't get behind them in resources, finances. If that's the perception, that's something that could manifest if people don't think they're getting a fair shake."

Excacerbating whatever issues in the race is the fact that Mfume faces serious ethics charges surrounding his relationship with an underling at the NAACP. Should he have to drop out of the race or lose in the primary due to this issue, rather than ethnic or racial tensions, it would be a real shame if Maryland's African-Americans stayed at home on election day, enabling the reelection of the somewhat unpopular Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich and the election of another GOP Senator. Likewise, it would be a catastrophe to nominate Mfume just to see him crumble under allegations during the general campaign.

I would tend to support the somewhat moderate Cardin over the more liberal Mfume. To me, it's just good politics and policy to tend to the middle, rather than the extreme. That having been said, the argument among African-Americans that they deserve a statewide nominee in Maryland is also quite sensible. I'm sure the voters in the Old Line State will find the most suitable candidate.