Not Kweisi About the Election So Far

Captain Ed reports on the Dem Senate primary race in Maryland, a race which has already gotten a lot of attention because of the black Republican Michael Steele who will be the opponent of the Dem winner. Former congressman and NAACP head Kweisi Mfume thought he'd be a lock for the nomination when he announced for the race, but has steadily trailed Benjamin Cardin all along the way. Now Kweisi is threatening to abandon the party in November should he fail in the primary:

Maryland U.S. Senate candidate Kweisi Mfume said yesterday that Democrats risk losing the senatorial election because "old-line party bosses" are undermining his campaign and alienating black voters.

Mr. Mfume also would not say whether he would endorse Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin, the front-runner for the Democratic Senate nomination, if he should lose to the lawmaker in the September primary. "I can say that there will be people who will feel disaffected [if I am not the nominee]," Mr. Mfume told editors and reporters at The Washington Times. ...

Calling Mr. Steele a "friend," Mr. Mfume said he shares similar goals and ideas with the Republican official as well as Mr. Cardin.

"I agree with both of them, maybe equally but on different things," said Mr. Mfume, a former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Failing to support the nominee would be the kiss of death for Mfume among Democrats, and could also be the kiss of death for Cardin's campaign. Should Cardin win, you'll have a white Dem running against a black Republican in a state with a large black population. Will the black voters decide they'd rather have the first black Senator from Maryland - even if he's a Republican, or just another white Democrat?

Stay tuned.