But at the time, Sauerbrey sidestepped questions about whether Glendening was right to have closed the rivers at all. She said this week that she, also, would have closed them. Yesterday's new ads were the first of the campaign in which either candidate mentions the other by name, and political analysts said that it is unusual for the incumbent, especially during good economic times, to be the first to do so. But with polls suggesting that Republicans have a chance to grab the governor' s job for the first time in three decades, top Democrats have urged Glendening to become more aggressive. He realizes he's in trouble.
Most incumbents try to mention the opponent as little as possible.
Sauerbrey said the ads distort her record, focusing on a few votes out of tens of thousands she cast as a legislator. We knew . . . But Glendening said that Sauerbrey's past is fair game and that he is simply showing Maryland voters the clear choice they face on Nov. 3. This is a record that ought to be compared. I think it's a terrible record.