Maryland GOP Rep. Gilchrest, Ousted in Primary, Endorses Dem to Succeed Him (MD-1)

[brooklynite]

Source: http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000002943287

Maryland Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest , a nine-term centrist unseated by a conservative opponent in his February primary, this morning endorsed county prosecutor Frank Kratovil Jr. — the Democratic nominee — to succeed him.

While Republicans prepare to nominate Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona with a show of party unity at their convention this week in St. Paul, Minn., Gilchrest’s sharp break in eastern Maryland’s 1st District provided evidence of a rift that persists between the conservatives who generally dominate the party and more moderate members — especially from the increasingly Democratic-dominated Northeast — who complain that they have been marginalized within GOP ranks.

Gilchrest, a low-key Vietnam War veteran and former teacher who has long stood out for his environmentalist stance, has often broken with his party’s line during presidency of George W. Bush , including his criticism of the administration’s handling of the Iraq war. While his moderate persona helped him win general elections by wide margins in his Republican-leaning district, it alienated a number of conservatives in the Republican Party base.

...snip...

Gilchrest, who blamed his defeat on a strain of what he calls ideological “extremism” in the Republican Party, today followed several of his close aides and supporters into the camp of Democratic candidate Kratovil, who won two terms as state’s attorney in Queen Anne’s County, a conservative-leaning region in Eastern Maryland. During a conference call with reporters from the state capital of Annapolis, Kratovil said he, like Gilchrest, is a centrist who views both major parties as too influenced by their ideological hardliners.

Read more: http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000002943287

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Maybe the Republicans can get Sarah Palin to come in and campaign?

[CC]

1. Gilchrest got that right about who voted him

out of office. Andy Harris is a wing nut of the worst kind. His base would love Palin. I am hoping we get more help from democrats to help Kravotil win the seat. Gilchrist endorsing him might help bring a long some moderate republicans though.

[TygrBright]

2. I used to live in his district. I voted for him at least once...

...when the Dems were running a total loser who was anti-choice and fellating big developers.

Wayne may be one of the few GOPpies with real integrity and public-spirited altruism to survive in Congress as long as he did. I'll never forget watching him make mincemeat of a bunch of Corpse of Engineers flaks at a hearing on dredging the Bay.

I really hoped he would come out as an Independent; he might be one of the few who could actually get elected on that basis. But he might be able to do more good as an outsider, with all he knows. And he's certainly earned a break and a little leisure.

regretfully,
Bright

[CC]

3. I know a lot of Dems that voted for

Gilchrest and I have even voted for him once or twice. I am going to miss the long letters back and forth about FISA that we had going. On that we disagreed but he at least read mine and answer even if it took him 20 pages to do so.

[cyclezealot]

9. Your take on the district make up.

will it go for Moderate Dems/ Reps.. The eastern shore was once known for right wing activits and racial intolerance, as I recall... Maybe the district will go for the far right goon?

[TygrBright]

10. They redistricted a buttload of GOPpie Baltimore suburbs onto his district...

...after the last Census. So the district is now a combination of rural woolhats and suburban troglodytes.

The rural woolhats liked Gilchrest. He taught a lot of their kids in High School, he supported gun rights (HUGE on the Eastern Shore,) and his environmentalism was framed as protecting the territory they hunt, fish, oyster, crab, etc., in. He had a knack for reaching the Shore types. They kept steadfastly returning him to Congress even though he didn't worship fetuses, invoke the Bible at every opportunity, or favor the kind of stupid, crippling tax cuts that would have messed up infrastructure.

The GOPpies were so desperate to get rid of him that as soon as Bobby Hairspray & Co. took over the State House one of their first priorities was to graft a big chunk of suburban Baltimore County onto his district, in the hope that the anti-tax, fetus-worshipping trogs there would do the job for them.

Took a couple of attempts but they finally succeeded.

This district will stay red, sorry.

Kiss it goodbye.

regretfully,
Bright

[cyclezealot]

11. when a so called moderate Goober is challenged look for Norquist money

as they did moderate GOB er x Rep. Schwarz in central Michigan.. Grover Norquist did not think his anti tax pledge pure enough so Norquist pumped tons of cash into a fundie nutjob named Walberg. Norquist's cash got rid of Schwarz.. Norquist is on a mission to get ride of Goobers who are "Republican in Name only." Rhinos.

[Endangered Specie]

4. Revenge is a congressional district, best served cold...

[Wizard777]

6. I don't really think it's revenge. The Md. Republican Party is really showing it's ass.

They've become a cesspool and are even offending the better senses of Maryland Republicans. It's all attack all day and they bringing nothing realistic to the table. We have a billion dollar deficit. We have rejected the republican proposal to allow the slots industry to rape the state. The governor has raised taxes to allow us to pull ourselves up by our own boot straps. So we don't have to take welfare from the slots industry and be FOREVER indebted to them. There are the Maryland Republicans bitchin' about the taxes and paying off our debt. I guess they feel we shouldn't pay our bills until the interest on the debt bankrupts the state and ruins our AAA Bond rating.

[Wizard777]

5. This is Maryland. Even our Republicans are Democrats.

But seriously the Maryland Republican party is in a meltdown. They think they can regain the Governors Office by viscously attacking Gov. Martin O'Malley's(D) every word. They have him living under a microscope. They even have web sites that grouse about him breathing their air.

[pamela]

7. Kratovil is running as an Independent

At least that's what it says in his commercials.

[Delphinus]

8. I had forgotten that he was beaten.

I liked him - I've seen him many times on CSpan talking about Peak Oil with good 'ol Roscoe. Too bad.