WASHINGTON – The Democratic challenger in Maryland’s 2nd District race for Congress reported only a fraction of the cash on hand as Republican Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich for use in the final days of the campaign.
On Oct. 16, Ehrlich had $236,087 in the bank, compared to Connie DeJuliis’ $32,701, records filed recently with the Federal Election Commission show.
Money matters in a race in which the candidates are relying on television and other forms of paid advertising to get their message out and win votes.
Robert L. McKinney, Ehrlich’s campaign director, said the freshman congressman from Timonium is running campaign ads on all four television stations in Baltimore.
“We’re touching all the bases that need to be touched. We’re not taking anything for granted,” McKinney said.
By the end of the race, Ehrlich’s campaign will have spent about $280,000 on television ads focusing on Ehrlich’s record, McKinney said.
DeJuliis’ media coordinator, Alysoun McLaughlin, said the Glen Arm Democrat also has been running television ads focusing on Ehrlich’s voting record. An animated ad with the theme of the board game “Clue” refers to the congressman as being “clueless,” McLaughlin said.
Another ad describes DeJuliis’ commitment to senior citizens and to preserving Social Security, Medicare and pensions, McLaughlin said.
Both Ehrlich, 38, and DeJuliis, 50, have also been using other means to reach voters.
The Ehrlich campaign recently sent a letter from Ehrlich’s mother to Democratic households in the eastern end of the district. The letter says Ehrlich is concerned about strengthening Medicare, McKinney said.
“We want to remind people that Bob Ehrlich has a heart and Bob’s parents are seniors,” McKinney said.
The Ehrlich campaign also has been running radio and newspaper ads, which will cost a total of about $30,000, McKinney said.
Each candidate also has participated in debates and done door-to-door campaigning.
And DeJuliis, a former state delegate and management labor consultant, has been dropping in places where voters spend their free time. “We’re going to the bowling alleys, we’re going to the senior centers,” McLaughlin said.
The 2nd District covers Harford County and parts of Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties. -30-