In a race where the two main candidates were ideological equals, the primary for the newly-redrawn Democratic 8th district could have been a beauty contest, in which then Del. Mark Shriver’s fundraising prowess, gregariousness and connections would have catapulted him to victory over State Sen. Chris Van Hollen. And make no bones about it, though Shriver ran a fair campaign and enjoyed every single one of those advantages up until primary day, Van Hollen touted his record of accomplishment – fighting and winning tough legislative battles – and portrayed Shriver as a well-liked, well-intentioned but ineffectual legislator to narrowly come out on top.

Even with Morella’s win, Gore’s 17-point victory in 2000 led most to believe then-Rep. Bob Ehrlich’s gubernatorial ambitions were all but a pipedream. Thankfully for Ehrlich, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s campaign was a pipe-bomb, and the Baltimore County Republican was there to pick up the pieces. Hitting the trail hard, Ehrlich took on a 2:1 Democratic voter registration advantage and an incumbent statehouse patronage operation, ending 36 years of Democratic rule in the governor’s mansion.

From day one, the O’Malley campaign took the attitude, ‘Don’t sit back while the media calls you the frontrunner – be the frontrunner.’ He set the tone early, defined himself as the embodiment of inevitability, broke fundraising records and stupefied the more experienced, arguably better qualified Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan. Even though medical reasons led Duncan to prematurely end his campaign, everyone knew O’Malley had already done it for him.

The Democrats had specifically drawn district 3A to put a dent in the Republicans 7:1 hold over Frederick County’s legislative delegation. In a district with much of Frederick city and an even partisan split, the Democrats put up two solid middle-aged candidates with accomplished careers – two-term County Commissioner Galen Clagett and Navy veteran Dick Zimmerman – against the GOP’s 29 year-old Timothy Brooks and 23 year-old Patrick Hogan, the son of former Congressman and PG County Exec Lawrence Hogan. Roughly six months out of college, Hogan finished the top vote-getter. The 7:1 advantage remained.

For someone who had a lot going against him, Mfume did remarkably well. His unusual name, youthful indiscretions, fundraising gap and longtime out of Maryland public office should have made him an easier candidate for Ben Cardin to rollover. But he came out of the crowded field (which may have benefited him in slightly diluting the white vote) playing the outsider, energizing his base and making a showing that should not be ignored.