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CNN Live Today
Elections in Maryland
Aired November 05, 2002 - 11:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A couple of weeks ago, folks in the D.C. area were genuinely worried about a serial sniper ruining Election Day. Well, that fear now considered to be over and people can once again get out and worry about the issues and ballots and power in Congress and more mundane things.
And our Kathleen Koch is standing by in Bethesda, Maryland, and she's been gauging the voter perspective there.
Good morning -- Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon. It is a lovely fall day here in Montgomery County. Voter turnout is quite good. Perhaps the biggest carry over from the sniper spree earlier last month is the that fact voters have been very much distracted, many of them not really focusing in on the candidates and issues until just about a week ago.
Now, one issue of course that has come very much front and center, especially in the governor's race, is the issue of gun control. Now, Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is running dueling negative ads with her challenger, Robert Ehrlich, who's a four-term Republican congressman. Now, in Townsend's ad, she calls Ehrlich the quote "The NRA candidate for governor." She criticizes him for some of his votes while in Congress to legalize some types of assault weapons and as well as Saturday night specials, some cheap hand guns. And then Ehrlich in his ads criticized Townsend for what he calls a poor record on crime and for not enforcing existing gun laws.
Now, whoever is elected governor in the state of Maryland will be making history. If it is Townsend, she would become the state's first female governor, and if it is Ehrlich, he would become the first Republican governor in this heavily Democratic state since 1969, when Spiro Agnew was governor of Maryland.
Not very hot races in the Eighth District where Congresswoman Connie Morella, an eight-term congresswomen is struggling for her political future here against Maryland state Senator Chris Van Holland. They are both very well liked, both highly respected and both of them agree on most issues. What has made this race so tough for Morella is that redistricting took place over the last couple of years and it stripped away many of her strongholds and made her district 55 percent Democratic. So it's a very tough race for her. Both national parties, Democrats and Republicans, are spending very, very heavily in the Eighth District. Republicans saying it is critical to them keeping control of the house, and of course, that's obviously why Democrats are bringing in heavy hitters to campaign for Van Holland. Former President Bill Clinton was in the area Friday and persuading many Democrats who might normally cross over, vote for Connie Morella, who is very popular, persuading them that they have to tow the party line this time -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right, Kathleen, real quickly, how is the turnout looking so far? Can't see a lot of activity behind you right now.
KOCH: Good turn out we're hearing, some lines inside. But it's difficult to compare it to past years because this county as in many counties around the country has gone to computerized voting this year, so you have a lot of voters who simply haven't used the machines before, so you've got long lines. It may not be because more people turning out; it's just taking them a little more time to vote.
HARRIS: All right, we'll check back with you later on, then. Kathleen Koch, reporting live from Bethesda, Maryland.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 5, 2002 - 11:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A couple of weeks ago, folks in the D.C. area were genuinely worried about a serial sniper ruining Election Day. Well, that fear now considered to be over and people can once again get out and worry about the issues and ballots and power in Congress and more mundane things.
And our Kathleen Koch is standing by in Bethesda, Maryland, and she's been gauging the voter perspective there.
Good morning -- Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon. It is a lovely fall day here in Montgomery County. Voter turnout is quite good. Perhaps the biggest carry over from the sniper spree earlier last month is the that fact voters have been very much distracted, many of them not really focusing in on the candidates and issues until just about a week ago.
Now, one issue of course that has come very much front and center, especially in the governor's race, is the issue of gun control. Now, Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is running dueling negative ads with her challenger, Robert Ehrlich, who's a four-term Republican congressman. Now, in Townsend's ad, she calls Ehrlich the quote "The NRA candidate for governor." She criticizes him for some of his votes while in Congress to legalize some types of assault weapons and as well as Saturday night specials, some cheap hand guns. And then Ehrlich in his ads criticized Townsend for what he calls a poor record on crime and for not enforcing existing gun laws.
Now, whoever is elected governor in the state of Maryland will be making history. If it is Townsend, she would become the state's first female governor, and if it is Ehrlich, he would become the first Republican governor in this heavily Democratic state since 1969, when Spiro Agnew was governor of Maryland.
Not very hot races in the Eighth District where Congresswoman Connie Morella, an eight-term congresswomen is struggling for her political future here against Maryland state Senator Chris Van Holland. They are both very well liked, both highly respected and both of them agree on most issues. What has made this race so tough for Morella is that redistricting took place over the last couple of years and it stripped away many of her strongholds and made her district 55 percent Democratic. So it's a very tough race for her. Both national parties, Democrats and Republicans, are spending very, very heavily in the Eighth District. Republicans saying it is critical to them keeping control of the house, and of course, that's obviously why Democrats are bringing in heavy hitters to campaign for Van Holland. Former President Bill Clinton was in the area Friday and persuading many Democrats who might normally cross over, vote for Connie Morella, who is very popular, persuading them that they have to tow the party line this time -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right, Kathleen, real quickly, how is the turnout looking so far? Can't see a lot of activity behind you right now.
KOCH: Good turn out we're hearing, some lines inside. But it's difficult to compare it to past years because this county as in many counties around the country has gone to computerized voting this year, so you have a lot of voters who simply haven't used the machines before, so you've got long lines. It may not be because more people turning out; it's just taking them a little more time to vote.
HARRIS: All right, we'll check back with you later on, then. Kathleen Koch, reporting live from Bethesda, Maryland.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
