Kasemeyer’s retirement latest in exodus of moderate Democrats

ANNAPOLIS — Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer’s decision to retire surprised many when he made it public last week.

The announcement by the seven-term Democrat who represents Howard and Baltimore counties is part of a larger trend that will likely change the Maryland Senate by making it younger and, in many cases, more progressive and potentially more politically polarized.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a few months,” said Kasemeyer, 72. “It was nothing extraordinary, just sort of the feeling that athletes have when they think, ‘It’s been a good run. The time is right for you to exit.’ It’s just a feeling of it’s time to go.”

Kasemeyer is rounding out his 28th year in the Senate after being first elected in 1986 following one term in the House of Delegates. He lost the next election to Republican Christopher J. McCabe but returned to the Senate four years later after redistricting.

Four years ago, Dels. Steve DeBoy and James Malone, announced they would not seek another term in office. The two had been part of a ticket with Kasemeyer.

In an interview, DeBoy told Patch.com that he felt it was becoming tougher to be a moderate in the House of Delegates.

It seems those concerns have now filtered to the Senate, and Kasemeyer acknowledged the difficulty of being a moderate Democrat in an increasingly liberal chamber.

“In my time here there has been a decline in the number of people who can call themselves moderates, people who aren’t predisposed a certain way,” said Kasemeyer. “I don’t think that’s probably a good thing. I think some people, before they get here, certain groups support them and they become obligated and committed. It is unfortunate we don’t have more people who don’t weigh each issue on its own and have no preconceived idea.”

Kasemeyer said he believes moderates serve a function in the Senate, even if there’s less room for them.

“When you’re a moderate type, it’s harder,” said Kasemeyer. “You’re nobody’s hero, so to speak. There’s no group you can depend on to help in an election campaign. So, it’s harder to win as a moderate but for the good of the (Senate) there needs to be five, six, seven of those kinds of people there. But it’s harder.

Kasemeyer joins two other Democrats who have announced their retirement at the end of the term: Sens. Ulysses Currie, Prince George’s, and James E. “Ed” DeGrange Sr., Anne Arundel.

Additionally, Sen. John C. Astle, Anne Arundel, unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Annapolis last year and on the final day of the 2017 session told colleagues this term was likely his last. And while Sarah Elfreth has stepped up to run in the Democratic primary, some in the Senate say Astle isn’t officially out. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., in an interview Friday, spoke as if Astle was leaving.

Five other senators — Jim Brochin, D-Baltimore County; Richard S. Madaleno Jr. and Roger Manno, both Montgomery County Democrats; and Anthony Muse and Victor R. Ramirez, both  Prince George’s Democrats — have all announced they will seek other offices.

Seats held by Brochin and Astle could potentially go to Republicans and are on a list of seats coveted by Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and his party.

Observers expect the rest of the seats to go to younger and more progressively liberal candidates. The changes could mean that the Senate, once known for being more moderate, could become more politically polarized. That, in turn, could potentially move Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. to the left to keep in step with his new caucus, should he lead the Senate when the new term begins in 2019.

“You have three or four moderate Democrats in that list,” said Todd Eberly, a political science professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, of the list of departures. “They’ll either be replaced by Republicans or by more liberal Democrats. Either way, the Democratic Senate caucus will move to the left. Miller will either need to follow them to the left or reconsider his future.”

Miller, for his part, acknowledged that change is coming to a chamber that had been more or less insulated from the type of polarization seen in the House of Delegates.

“I really work hard to keep that from happening, honestly and truly,” said Miller, adding: “It’s America. It’s evolution, honestly and truly. It’s the electorate and people who put them into office, and hopefully they reflect the people who put them into office.We have a changing electorate, and the (Senate) reflects that change and I think it all goes well for the state.”