Shriver, Van Hollen Go After Each Other; Rival Democrats in U.S. House Race Trade Complaints of Campaign Distortions
Two of the Democratic contenders in Maryland's 8th Congressional District turned up the heat yesterday, accusing each other of misleading voters through campaign advertising.</br></br>The campaign of state Sen. Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (Montgomery) accused state Del. Mark K. Shriver (Montgomery) of using "political inflation" to bolster his record on health care reform. Meanwhile, the Shriver campaign pointed to what it called "an inflated claim" in Van Hollen's first television commercial, which began airing this week.</br></br>Democrats in Montgomery and Prince George's counties will pick a nominee Sept. 10 from a field of four candidates. In addition to Shriver and Van Hollen, former Clinton administration trade negotiator Ira Shapiro and lawyer Deborah Vollmer are vying for the chance to take on Rep. Constance A. Morella (R).</br></br>With few philosophical differences among the candidates, the Democratic primary race has largely come down to a battle of resumes and, increasingly, disputes over campaign tactics.</br></br>In the latest semantic wrangling over campaign advertising, Van Hollen's campaign took issue with a Shriver brochure that hit mailboxes across the district this week. The brochure states that as a state delegate, Shriver compiled a "record of hard work, determination and expertise on health care issues that helped changed lives." The brochure lists specific pieces of legislation, including bill numbers and dates.