Candidates don’t fear shadows of state races (excerpt)

Back-to-basics campaigns reach voters, hopefuls say

Wednesday, May 10, 2006
by Meredith Hooker

...Takoma Park resident Jamie Raskin, a law professor running for the Maryland State Senate in District 20, said he feels many residents are just as focused on local races, if not more so.

‘‘I think that the electorate is more focused on state legislative races than the bigger statewide races. Right now there is a lot of energy and vision at the local level in the state legislature,” he said. Statewide races are subject to larger ‘‘political winds,” but ‘‘in District 20, it’s all about face-to-face politics.”

District 20 includes Takoma Park and portions of Silver Spring north along the Route 29 corridor to White Oak.

Raskin, a Democrat, said he’s had some major events to meet community members, but is also knocking on doors and holding house parties to get to know voters, with the goal of talking to every constituent in his district. That’s something someone running for a statewide office can’t easily do, he said.