Steele Announces Md. Senate Bid

Earlier today, Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele formally announced what had, for all intents and purposes, been a public campaign for U.S. Senate. In his announcement speech, Steele, who is black, recalled Martin Luther King:

I began my service to you, the people of Maryland, on the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And as I look to this moment and to the future, I cannot help but recall the words of Dr. King who said...

"Cowardice asks the question - is it safe?
Vanity asks the question - is it popular?
Expediency asks the question - is it political?
But conscience asks the question - is it right?"
Dr. King reminds us... there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, popular, or political; but because it is right...

In the politics of Washington today, we have come to accept as certain, divisions so set in stone that we can identify them one color at a time.

Just listen to what the evening news tells us...

Red states must be red. Blue states must be blue. Black always black and white always white.

It may look that way to Washington...

But I know that is not the view from main street Maryland.

Steele, who is facing an electorate that is 2 to 1 Democratic and 25% black, has routinely challenged old notions of politics. In fact, he is the only African American Lt. Governor in the country and one a just a few black republicans in high elected office. Steele's notion of a New Civil Rights Struggle, is not one that is familiar to many black, or Democratic voters, but may resonate with swing voters who view equality of opportunity more important that pure equality.

As a young man I realized that the front lines in the New Civil Rights Struggle would be different.

Instead of just hope... we needed action.

Instead of just government protection... we needed opportunity.

And instead of the right to sit at the lunch counter... the New Civil Rights Struggle would be a struggle for the right to own the diner and to create legacy wealth for our children.

To win that struggle, we must all come together and work for the same freedom... the same growth... and the same opportunity.

In a recently released poll, as reported by WTOP News, Steele is just 9 points behind Democratic frontrunner Ben Cardin and leading black Democrat Kweisi Mfume. Steele will benefit from the conservative base of the the GOP, which he helped court while service as running mate to Governor Bob Ehrlich. But Steele will no doubt benefit from his own outreach into minority communities during the past four years.

This is not to say that Steele will have an easy race, indeed, like the 2002 election that put Steele into the Lt. Governor's chair, this Senate race is going to be bruising.