Senate Seat Showdowns

Maryland CBS NEWS PROJECTS BEN CARDINWINNER Democrat Ben Cardin vs. Republican Michael Steele (Open seat) CBS News Race Outlook: Democrat Paul Sarbanes is retiring. Cardin survived a contentious race for the Democratic primary against Kweisi Mfume, a former Congressman and a previous NAACP president. Cardin has been called apolicy wonk who lacks a dynamic public personality. Cardin believes in an immediate troop reduction in Iraq and wants to raise the minimum wage. He does not think race should be an issue in this race, but black elected officials say race could become a factor. Democrats have criticized Steele for his ties to Floyd Brown, the producer of the Willie Horton ad that helped derail the Michael Dukakis campaign. Steele’s former campaign manager and communications director quit earlier this year, highlighting a rift between Steele’s Maryland loyalists and D.C. operatives. Steele apologized after equating stem cell research to the experiments Nazi doctors conducted during World War II when speaking to a Baltimore Jewish group. He then surprised a conservative talk show audience when he said he actually supported embryonic research. GOP Chair Ken Mehlman, who ran President Bush’s re-election campaign, took a more hands-on role in Steele’s campaign.