by David Nitkin
It seemed like a perfect opportunity for the struggling Maryland Republican Party: With the top candidates for president coming to the state's largest city for a nationally televised debate, why not greet them with enthusiasm and raise some sorely needed money at the same time?
But as it turns out, the top Republican candidates aren't coming to Morgan State University in Baltimore tomorrow for the PBS debate on minority issues. Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Fred Thompson are all skipping out. And their snub is being felt at the local level, forcing the state Republican Party to cancel a fund-raising breakfast it wanted to piggyback on the event.
The party blasted an email notice this week, saying that it was "with regret" that a Pre-Debate Breakfast Rally would not take place tomorrow.
The email provided no explanation, but party chairman James Pelura said in an interview that the breakfast became "too much of a financial risk to the party."
If the full field of candidates had agreed to appear at the Hyatt Regency hotel at the Inner Harbor, "we planned to have 250 to 300 people there," Pelura said, paying $100 for the breakfast or $250 for a meal plus a debate ticket. But sales were sluggish to hear Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter and the rest of the lower tier.
It was less than a year ago that then-Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. was musing about whether he and his political partner, Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, could lead a Republican realignment in Maryland -- a true-blue state where registered Democrats hold a two-to-one voter registration edge. But Ehrlich lost his re-election bid, Steele lost a race for U.S. Senate and the party's already thin bench looks weaker than ever.
The reality is reflected in the state GOP's coffers. The most recent party treasurer's report showed $4,615 in cash and $50,500 in debt. Because of lackluster fundraising, the party operated at a $103,536 deficit in the first six months of the year.
The party's major annual fundraising dinner earlier this year netted $15,572, less than 10 percent of the amount the party had been counting on. It has taken out a line of credit to cover daily operations.
In addition to refunding tickets that had been sold for tomorrow's breakfast, the party is offering a consolation : two "complimentary passes" to the debate. Not that those are the hottest tickets in town.
David Nitkin is a Washington correspondent for the Baltimore Sun, a Tribune Co. newspaper.
• 
• 
• 
Comments
Folks do not understand that calling on Presidential candidates willy-nilly is like making them trained tigers to perform. Debates are actual demeaning for the candidate of the highest job in the world. You want to make a buck. Not inform. I applaud the candidates for rejecting the offer. One or twe good debates is enough for the entire campaign. They really only help the losers.
Posted by: Don Jones | September 26, 2007 11:40 AM
What a big disappointment! I was really looking forward to attending that debate too. I wont go now that the top candidates have pulled out! so shoot me, I am actually interested in what the repubs have to say...not that I haven't heard it all before!
Posted by: Bella | September 26, 2007 11:45 AM
They should have gone. I agree that there are too many debates but this debate would have given a community and constituency that has been ignored by republican candidates in recent history a chance to see the candidates up close and participate in the campaign.
There have been plenty of other debates that these candidates could have skipped to make this one.
Posted by: Formerlyanonymous | September 26, 2007 11:48 AM
Did anybody invite Alan Keyes?
Posted by: Doug Zook | September 26, 2007 11:48 AM
The GOP is scared to death of Dr. Ron Paul and his truly conservative platform (one which he's be true to for 10 congressional terms). They'd rather concede the election to Hillary than risk an honest Republican winning in '08. That way the globalist war for empire can continue unabated (with us middle-class tax payers flipping the bill for years to come). Bottom line: The GOP is throwing the election folks. It's that simple. With every passing debate Dr. Paul is tearing off the mask and relieving their deceit and so now they're backing out of the debates. So here's your choice, either be a sheep in an Orwell novel and watch our freedoms dissapear or wake up and remember what your party is supposed to stand for before it's too late. Patriotism starts with the truth and Ron Paul is the last honest man. Thanks.
Posted by: Conservative Voter | September 26, 2007 12:11 PM
Ron Paul has had no trouble drawing crowds. His last three rallies, in Chicago, Seattle, and Salt Lake City, all drew over 1,000 supporters. He's popular in Maryland, too, having won the Republican straw poll at the state fair there.
In fact, it could be argued that Ron Paul is the candidate with the most actual support. He has 47,000 volunteers in local Meetup groups -- more than the rest of the candidates put together. He draws the biggest crowds. His number of donors rivals the top candidates, even if the total dollars donated does not.
Only in random telephone surveys does he trail, and that's mostly a function of name recognition. As more voters get to know him, his numbers are going to go way up.
Posted by: Doug | September 26, 2007 12:48 PM
Only one or two debates is enough? Heck, I've barely heard one or two debates so far, and I've watched them all. Each debate is simply a sequence of mini-stump speaches. The only real debating I've seen has involved that Ron Paul guy. How are we supposed to see any difference between the candidates this way?
Anyway, we need far more debates.
Posted by: Bo Zimmerman | September 26, 2007 2:34 PM
I would agree if the debates were formatted to cover the top 5 or 6 issues giving all candidates a fair shot at answering questions. Right now most of the debate time is wasted on frontrunner grandstanding.
Posted by: Jake | September 26, 2007 2:52 PM
Doug Zook,
Mr. Keyes is lunching with Moses and Jesus that day and will not be able to attend.
Posted by: johnf | September 26, 2007 3:56 PM
I can't believe that the GOP is so out of touch that they don't realize that the Ron Paul supporters are a cash cow. All they had to do was include a straw poll ballot with the admission fee and they would have easily made money on the deal. Sheesh - no wonder they're struggling financially. They are apparently entirely out of touch with the only segment of the party that's actually active and interested.
Posted by: Alexia For Ron Paul | September 26, 2007 6:36 PM
johnf,
There you have it.
Posted by: Doug Zook | September 27, 2007 10:00 AM
Ron Paul certainly is a cash cow, but the problem with the repubican party right now is that they dont want to admit that they screwed up by concentrating their efforts of anti-terrorism in Iraq too much. Ron Paul is calling them on this and they would rather lose the election to Hillary than admit they messed up.
Its funny how the GOP is ripping on Ron Paul more than they do the democrats. It makes no sense since he agrees more with what they want than any of the democrats do. Maybe they are just afraid of all the support hes getting online and off.
Who knows what their deal is. I certainly cant figure it out.
Posted by: mike | September 27, 2007 11:14 PM