A recent campaign flier from Baltimore County executive candidate Kevin Kamenetz depicts a burning offshore oil rig on one side and a picture of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the other, and claims that Kamenetz’s opponent, Joseph Bartenfelder, would cap BP’s liability to $10 million if the disaster occurred in Maryland.
The flier has been criticized as misleading. Donald Norris, professor and chair of public policy, described the ad as “way over the top.” He said it was unusual for a local candidate to invoke the image of a national disaster. “I have not seen stuff like this in county executive races.” He described it “as if someone voted against controlling illegal aliens, and you had a picture of the World Trade Center coming down.”
The article, “Campaign Ads Get Graphic in Baltimore County,” appeared September 8 in the Baltimore Sun.
Norris also recently spoke with WJZ TV 13 about the low voter turnout for the Maryland Primary. He also predicted that voter discontent will not factor much into voters’ general election decisions.
“There’s a national mood that everybody talks about, but you have to remember that Maryland is one of the most well-educated states, one of the most affluent states in the country, so I don’t really expect that to play out much in the general election,” he said.
The story, “Voter Turnout Low In Maryland Primary,” aired on
September 14.
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