“Elections are won by men and women chiefly because most people vote against somebody rather than for somebody.”
– Franklin P. Adams
The College Park City Council’s endorsement of former regent and current senatorial candidate Jim Rosapepe is certainly a blow to incumbent John Giannetti’s campaign, but the battle is far from over.
Giannetti has made a good impression on students by participating in voter registration drives, lobbying for higher education funding in Annapolis and, of course, hanging out during football games with his tailgate crew.
But while he may arguably have the student vote cornered, the numbers of student voters are probably not enough to help overcome Rosapepe if he has the will of the remainder of College Park.
City officials have been skeptical of Giannetti’s presence in the city lately. The senator took credit for suggesting opening Shuttle-UM to College Park residents, though while the city was in deliberations with the university on the matter, Mayor Stephen Brayman publicly criticized Giannetti several times for being nowhere to be found.
Giannetti was similarly snubbed earlier this summer when District 4 Councilwoman Joseline Peña-Melnyk, who is running for a District 21 delegate position, refused a position on his slate. Peña-Melnyk was holding out for a slot on Rosapepe’s slate, but was in turn overlooked in favor of opponent Ben Barnes.
It is yet to be seen whether university administrators will step up to bat for Giannetti or their former Board of Regents colleague Rosapepe, though Vice President for Administrative Affairs John Porcari has made contributions to Giannetti’s campaign. It is difficult to predict how much sway university officials could have in the election overall, but it couldn’t hurt Giannetti to get the university’s high rollers in his corner when he faces off with Rosapepe Sept. 12.
While government and politics experts have agreed that it is difficult to dethrone an incumbent, Giannetti still needs to make sure his presence is known in the city – even if city officials have already tipped their hat in the other direction.
Our View: Giannetti needs to step up the wow factor of his campaign in College Park if he intends to keep his seat in Annapolis.