Simms enters crowded race for state attorney general

Ex-Duncan running mate faces primary competition

Friday, June 30, 2006

Simms’ entry into the race just days before the July 3 filing deadline gives the Baltimore political establishment the accomplished Democrat whom they urged to seek the party’s nomination against a pair of candidates from Montgomery County.

When Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D) suddenly halted his bid for governor last Thursday due to clinical depression, his running mate was considered a strong candidate to succeed retiring Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. (D).

‘‘Together we will break down the walls of injustice,” Simms said Thursday. ‘‘Together we will fight discrimination wherever it exists and right the wrongs that have been committed. Together we will put an end to corporations preying on those who are helpless. Together we will change the face of Maryland to protect the interests of hard-working people all across the state.”

Simms held two Cabinet positions under former governor Parris N. Glendening and previously spent eight years as the city’s top prosecutor, making him an attractive replacement for Curran.

‘‘If you were going to put together a candidate on paper from scratch, I don’t know that you could come up with a better profile than Stu presents,” said Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn F. Ivey (D).

‘‘His breadth of experience is broader than anyone else who is in the race,” said Baltimore City State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy (D). ‘‘He’s a very honest, hardworking, intelligent, competent person. I’ve never known anyone who is as reflective and deliberative in his thought process as he is.”

But the 55-year-old Simms is getting a late start in a crowded Democratic primary field that includes Montgomery County State’s Attorney Douglas F. Gansler and Montgomery County Councilman Thomas E. Perez. Gansler, who has been mounting his campaign for months, raised nearly $1.5 million as of January. Perez had amassed about $200,000.

It remains unclear whether Simms will benefit from any money remaining in Duncan’s war chest.

Frederick County State’s Attorney Scott L. Rolle is the only Republican to have filed for attorney general.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. said that he assured Simms on Wednesday that he would have the support of an overwhelming number of senators and many other Democratic elected officials, which will offset gains made by Gansler and Perez. Miller (D-Prince George’s, Calvert) said that Simms will be on his ticket in Prince George’s County and many other jurisdictions, giving him a ready-made organization in key areas of the state.

Miller also predicted that Simms would be the beneficiary of Duncan resources such as campaign cash, volunteers and staff.

‘‘If I have him on my ticket in Prince George’s County, which I will, he won’t have to spend as much money,” Miller said.

Political observers immediately pegged Simms, who is black, as the frontrunner because he brings geographic balance and racial diversity to the campaign. But his Democratic opponents said the race will focus on more substantive issues.

‘‘This campaign is not about what your ZIP code is,” Perez said Wednesday on WYPR radio’s ‘‘Marc Steiner Show.” ‘‘It’s about what your breadth and depth of experience is.”

Perez, a University of Maryland law school professor who lives in Takoma Park, said he is the only candidate with professional roots in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., media markets.

Simms acknowledged he faces a fight. ‘‘A football game is not won by just coming in and warming up,” he said. ‘‘You have got to win the battle.”

But Simms’ brief stint as Duncan’s running mate likely boosted his name recognition, especially in Montgomery County.

‘‘At first blush, I would say that Stu Simms is in a very good position right now,” said Sen. Robert J. Garagiola, a Montgomery County Democrat.

Simms was appointed Baltimore state’s attorney in 1987 and was twice re-elected to four-year terms. He served as secretary of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services from 1995 to 1997, before taking over the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services until 2003. The 1975 Harvard Law School graduate also was a former federal litigator and spent two years as counsel to U.S. Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes (D-Md.). Simms currently is a partner at Brown, Goldstein and Levy, a prominent Baltimore law firm.

Staff writer Thomas Dennison contributed to this report. E-mail Alan Brody at abrody@somdnews.com.