Mfume First Into Maryland Senate Race after Sen. Sarbanes hangs it up. - My reaction? Gotta sleep on it.

Yesterday's news:

Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) announced today that he will not seek reelection next year.

The ranking member of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, Sarbanes became the state's longest-serving senator by winning a fifth term in 2000. The 72-year-old won his last reelection with 63 percent of the vote.

The election will test whether Gov. Robert Ehrlich's (R) win in 2002 marked the beginning of a Republican surge in Maryland or whether it was an anomaly in a state that routinely votes Democratic.

Possible candidates to succeed Sarbanes include Democratic Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley and Democratic Reps. Chris Van Hollen and Al Wynn, as well as the state's Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, a Republican.

(3-11-05 The Hill.)
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Today's news:

Former NAACP President Kweisi Mfume became the first candidate out of the gate in the newly open 2006 Maryland Senate race, announcing this morning that he would seek the Democratic nomination.

(3-14-05 The Roll Call.)

My reaction to this Mfume news. I've got to sleep on it.