Maryland Politics -- It's Official, Steele's Running

WaPo reports:

Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele today formally announced he will run for the U.S. Senate, recasting the successful political partnership that enabled him to become the first African American elected to statewide office. ... An independent poll released yesterday showed him trailing the Democratic front-runner, Rep. Ben Cardin of Baltimore. But it also showed him ahead in a match-up against another well-known Democratic contender, former congressman and NAACP president Kweisi Mfume.

Read it here.

The poll results are:

In the Senate race, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin had a nine-point lead, 47 percent to 38 percent, over Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, who was expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination Tuesday. Steele, Maryland's first black lieutenant governor, held his own in a matchup with the only black Democrat in the race, former U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume. Steele was supported by 42 percent of people polled and Mfume by 40 percent, and the lieutenant governor was leading four other Democrats.

Read it here.

The poll also shows the Gubenatorial race between Macho Man Martin O'Malley and Big Bob Ehrlich to be a dead heat.

This is going to be fun. Cardin is formidable, but Steele could be a rising superstar -- a Republican Barak Obama. Ehrlich and O'Malley are both hard-core campaigners. This promises to be knock down dirty fight -- the kind Maryland specializes in.

Paul at Power Line agrees. He writes: "At long last, an interesting Maryland Senate race."

Read him here.

John Miller's 2004 article on Steele is here.