Cardin faces two-sided challenge from Campbell and Simon

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, one of the longest-serving political figures in state history, is seeking re-election as a pair of candidates try to shake up a dynamic in which challengers have historically struggled against Maryland's Democratic senators.

Maryland, in which Democratic voters outnumber Republicans 2-1, hasn't had a non-Democratic U.S. senator since Republican Charles McC. Mathias Jr. retired in 1987.

This year's race is unusual because an independent, Neal Simon, has spent more than $1.7 million on his campaign.

Simon, 50, casts himself as a pragmatic alternative to Cardin and Republican contender Tony Campbell. He accuses both parties in Washington of spending more time "throwing red meat at their bases" than seeking solutions to problems by finding common ground.

"They're playing partisan games and getting nothing done and it's crippling America," says the Potomac wealth management executive in a statewide television ad. It shows him at the U.S. Capitol and in front of a red-and-blue campaign bus with "People over Politics" in white letters above his name.

Cardin, 75, is seeking a third term after stints in the U.S. House and the state General Assembly. He said seeking a middle ground is not as simple as it sounds.

"Let's take Kavanaugh for a moment," said Cardin, referring to Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's U.S. Supreme Court nominee whom the Senate narrowly approved this month. Cardin said Kavanaugh, who denied sexual assault allegations, lacked impartiality and could roll back abortion rights and civil liberties.

Cardin said he was "outraged" at Trump's selection of Kavanaugh and because Senate Republicans had refused to hold a vote on Merrick Garland, a judge whom then-President Barack Obama nominated for the high court in 2016.

"If Neal Simon is suggesting we should be calm about those things, I disagree with him," Cardin said. "But we can have that discussion without yelling and screaming at each other. I don't yell and scream. Throughout my career, I've had the reputation of working across party lines."

In an Oct. 7 debate, Simon said he would have voted "no" on Kavanaugh but criticized both parties - Republicans for refusing to consider Garland's nomination and Democrats for not coming forward sooner with the allegations professor Christine Blasey Ford brought against Kavanaugh.

Campbell, 52, a Towson University political science lecturer, said he would have voted for Kavanaugh and criticized Democrats for "using people's pain for political gain."

Campbell said he knew he would be at a disadvantage to Cardin in the Nov. 6 election. "I knew our free media would be few and far between and that he'd probably outspend us, like 10-1."

Campbell had raised $160,000 compared to Cardin's $3.9 million during the election cycle, according to their latest available Federal Election Commission reports. Simon reported raising $1.8 million, including a $946,600 loan to his campaign.

Cardin was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1966 and has served in the General Assembly or Congress since then.

"People I'm talking to - Republicans, Democrats and independents - think being in elected office for five decades is probably two decades too long," Campbell said.

Cardin countered that he has been successful in his long tenure because he has managed to put aside partisan differences. "Ever since I was in the state legislature, I believed I was going to fight hard on Election Day to get as many of my like-minded people elected as possible. But when the election is over, you've got to govern," he said.

Campbell also took issue with Simon. "Because you say you're independent doesn't mean you're independent. He's a liberal," Campbell said, citing Simon's position on gun control.

Simon said he once registered as a Democrat in Montgomery County so he could participate in primaries but is now an independent.

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Credit: By Jeff Barker - The Baltimore Sun - [email protected];twitter.com/sunjeffbarker

Caption: From left, Ben Cardin, Tony Campbell and Neal Simon.