In Montgomery, veteran leaders fall to newcomers

Friday, Sept. 15, 2006

Three longtime Montgomery County state legislators lost their seats to political newcomers Tuesday in what some say was a natural progression of change.

However, the defeat of State Sen. Ida G. Ruben (D-Dist. 20) of Silver Spring could have the most impact for Montgomery, one observer says.

‘‘It’s a major loss for Montgomery County because Ida Ruben had such power at the General Assembly,” said Gail Ewing, an adjunct political science professor at Montgomery College and former Montgomery County Council member. ‘‘She really had clout and we’ve lost that.”

Ruben, 77, served 31 years in the General Assembly, including 19 in the Senate. She was defeated in the primary by law professor Jamie Raskin, 43, of Takoma Park, who got 66 percent of the vote in the district, which includes Silver Spring and Takoma Park.

The other General Assembly veterans to be defeated, Adrienne A. Mandel of Layhill and Carol S. Petzold of Aspen Hill, had had a combined 32 years representing District 19 in the House of Delegates.

Both Democrats ran for the Senate this year but lost to newcomer Mike Lenett, who received more votes than Mandel and Petzold combined. Lenett had nearly 53 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results.

This year’s primary shows the effort of the public to bring in new elected officials across the board, Ewing said. ‘‘People feel tired of the same old, same old. They’re ready for a change and know there are new candidates.”

From the start, Ruben expected a serious challenge from Raskin, who got a head start campaigning while she was still in the legislative session in January.

Ruben stepped up her campaign in June.

Both accused the other of negative campaigning.

‘‘There was a lot of acrimony,” Ewing said. ‘‘A lot of very unpleasant things happened. That acrimony is very personal and it’s longstanding, and people need to rise above it. ... Jamie will be very smart if the first phone call he makes is to Ida Ruben. She is his best resource and is the epitome of a fine legislator.”

‘‘We all honor Sen. Ruben’s many decades of wonderful service to District 20,” Raskin said Tuesday night. ‘‘This wasn’t a vote against anyone but in favor of sweeping progressive change. I think voters recognize that [incumbents] weren’t going to deal with urgent public policy with negative politics. It tears people down and turns people off. Progressives need to engage and motivate people.”

Ruben spent the final week of her campaign mourning her brother, who died last week, and putting politics aside.

In a Thursday interview, Ruben said she’s not sure what her future holds and said she was surprised at the election results. ‘‘I didn’t think the people would buy into the negatives and untruths my opponent was giving,” she said.

However, Ruben said, ‘‘I had the pleasure of serving for 32 years and I’m very proud of my record, and I appreciate that I was able to serve for so long.”

Ruben, president pro tem and vice chairwoman of the budget and taxation committee, said she has worked to develop relationships with other legislators over the years, and that’s something a new senator won’t come by easily.

A freshman legislator will start on the bottom rung, Ewing said.

Raskin said he is ready to build relationships with legislators. He has made contact with some of his future colleagues and set up a meeting with State Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach.

‘‘Those relationships will be crucial,” he said.