Dirty Dozen 2002
Helen Bentley (R): Race At A Glance 2002
Maryland's 2nd Congressional District
| Helen Bentley (R) | 46% | |
| Dutch Ruppersburger (D) | 54% |  |
The Race
When Bob Ehrlich vacated Maryland³ 2nd Congressional District to run for governor, Helen Bentley, who had formerly held the seat, entered the race. However, the newly redistricted 2nd District was shaped to include more Democratic voters and Bentley faced a formidable opponent in Baltimore County Executive Dutch Ruppersberger. LCV named Bentley to the Dirty Dozen to call attention to her ten-year anti-environment record. Her lifetime LCV score of 17% was the worst in the Maryland delegation during her tenure in Congress.
The Environment
The health of the Chesapeake Bay is of the utmost importance to voters in Maryland³ 2nd District. September 2002 polls conducted for LCV by Greenberg Quinlan Research found that LCV's messaging was effective. By highlighting Bentley's votes protecting corporate polluters over the interests of her constituents, LCV was successful in persuading targeted voters. Clean air, clean water, and issues surrounding the Chesapeake Bay also polled high among voters' concerns.
Bentley's opponent seized the opportunity. TV ads from the Ruppersberger camp stressed Helen Bentley's listing on LCV's Dirty Dozen. He also opened a debate citing Bentley's anti-environment votes against clean water and the community's right to know about toxic emissions. Lacking an adequate response, Bentley charged that Ruppersberger was distorting her record.
LCV Activities
In August 21, 2002, LCV held a press conference at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor to name Helen Bentley to the Dirty Dozen. The event was covered in the Baltimore Sun, the Associated Press and on the local FOX television station. In the following months, LCV’s media outreach publicized Bentley’s poor record, earning headlines such as, “Environment, Voting Records Cited in Campaigns” (Westminster Times 10/02/02) and “2nd District draws outside attention” (Baltimore Sun 10/30/02). LCV began its field operation in the district on October 19. This grassroots campaign focused on face-to-face voter contact, using volunteers to canvass neighboorhoods. LCV also ran a successful Get Out the Vote phone banking effort and a series of direct mail pieces (pdf) to inform voters on Bentley’s voting record while in Congress. On Halloween, LCV volunteers hit the streets of Towson, MD in pfisteria fish costumes to underline the effect of Bentley’s anti-environment votes on the Chesapeake Bay. ABC featured the event on “This Week with George Stephanopolous” on November 3. LCV’s efforts in this race were extensively covered by CNN as an example of the kind of independent expenditure campaigns that are likely to increase in frequency in the coming years.
