George Wenschhof
Interestingly, at least three of the candidates; two Republicans (David Brinkley and Kathy Afzali) and one Democrat (John Delaney) will not be able to vote for themselves today. Living outside of the district they wish to represent, they are asking voters to cast their ballots for them today.
This is just one example of the many dynamics taking place in the newly created sixth district which makes this race the one to watch. The gerrymandered district, drawn to favor Democrats, spurred a total of 13 candidates to file; eight Republicans and five Democrats.
After months of listening to Republican and Democratic candidates telling them why they should cast their ballot for them, voters, who did not take advantage of the early opportunity, will weigh in today.
Maryland, Wisconsin and D.C. hold primaries today. In Maryland, in addition to the president, there are eight congressional contests, a U.S. Senate seat and several counties are holding board of education elections.
The polls will close at 8:00 PM and in case someone does not know the location of their polling location, the Maryland Elections Center has a poll location finder for you here: https://www.mdelections.umd.edu/
On the Republican side, 20 year incumbent Roscoe Bartlett is favored. Although, with half of the new district now including voters from Montgomery county, (who do not know Bartlett), the others seven Republican candidates are hoping for an upset.
The Democratic candidates realize, the primary winner will most likely go on to win the general, buoyed by a 43,000 registered voter advantage in the new district.
As a result, the infighting has been vicious. John Delaney, who resides outside the district, has spent $1.4 million of his considerable wealth on this contest. His campaign has also relied heavily on endorsements from outside the district, notably from former president Bill Clinton and the Washington Post.
Maryland state senate majority leader Rob Garagiola, on the other hand, has the backing from elected officials throughout the district, Governor Martin O'Malley, major unions, environmental groups and Moveon.org.
Bolstered, by the endorsement of Howard Dean, Dr. Milad Pooran, who has also put over $200,000 of his own money into the race, is hoping the Delaney and Garagiola battle will allow him to squeak out a victory with a plurality of the vote.
It is likely the Democratic winner will result from the campaign with the best get-out-the-vote effort.
Sean Rankin, campaign manager for Rob Garagiola estimates Democratic voter turnout will be between 40,000 - 45,000, which is under 25%. Former Maryland Secretary of State John Willis shares this view. Both, point out there is no top of the ballot race (President Obama is unopposed) to spur voter excitement. Rankin adds public schools are on spring break in four of the five counties in the district.
One also has to wonder; if, the spirited Democratic primary, with considerable combined campaign funds spent, will result in a higher turnout.
We will know soon enough. Expect, results to come trickling in by 9:00 PM.
I cast my vote for Rob Garagiola for Congress during the early voting period. Rob has a proven track record of building consensus on the difficult issues facing Americans today and producing results.
For, those of you who did not take advantage of early voting, go cast your ballot today!
---
To receive "Daily Email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Sixth District Congressional Race Is The One To Watch Today
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Results – Not Rhetoric
George Wenschhof
After 20 years of unremarkable representation by Republican Roscoe Bartlett, Democratic state senate Majority Leader Rob Garagiola stands out as the clear choice in the Maryland sixth congressional district Democratic primary.
The only Democratic candidate to have held elected office, his experience and voting record gives voters strong justification for casting their ballot for him on April 3.
Passionate, yet reasonable, Rob will work hard to create jobs in a changing market, be a strong advocate on women’s issues, provide a high level of education for children, promote the use of renewable energy and maintain a high level of national security.
The wide spectrum and vast number of endorsements received by Rob further illustrates he is the best choice to work with a diverse membership in the House.
The National Education Association, League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, United Auto Workers (UAW), AFL-CIO, SEIU and MoveOn,org are but a few of the organizations who have expressed their support for Garagiola.
More impressive than the national endorsements is the overwhelming support Garagiola has received from colleagues across the district. Leading a notable list of elected officials is House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, and former Speaker of the House Casper R. “Caz” Taylor.
In my home county of Frederick, state senator Ron Young, former delegate Sue Hecht, delegate Galen Clagett, City of Frederick alderman Karen Young and former candidate for the sixth district; Don DeArmon, are among those who have expressed their backing of Rob Garagiola.
Voters have discovered their dalliance with electing ideologues has resulted in a dysfunctional Congress. So, electing Representatives like Rob, who can reach across the aisle, is important.
One factor contributing to the gridlock in Congress today is the partisan redistricting process used by a majority of state legislatures. When I interviewed Garagiola, he told me he would support all states using an independent or bipartisan committee to handle the redistricting necessary every ten years.
This process, if adopted by all states, would aid in reducing the acrimony and gridlock which currently exists in the House, contributing to the historic low (10%) approval rating Congress receives today.
Campaign finance reform is another area in politics which desperately needs attention, especially in light of the 2010 “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision which opened the floodgates to unlimited contributions.
It was heartening to hear Garagiola, tell me “corporations are not people” and he would support efforts by Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to pass legislation to mitigate the impact of the Supreme Court decision.
Refreshingly, Garagiola is not one who is easy to brand with an ideology. Instead of espousing rhetoric over his ten years as state senator, Garagiola has demonstrated his ability to reach consensus while focusing on results.
Garagiola has a track record of creating green jobs, helping working families and endeavoring to make public education in Maryland become ranked number one among states, four years in a row.
Voters deserve members of congress, like Rob, who will work to restore the public’s trust in government and work together to move America forward.
Results - not rhetoric are the reasons to vote Rob Garagiola for Congress on April 3.
---
To receive "Daily Email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Maryland Sixth District Primary Nears
George Wenschhof
Last Friday, I published current sixth district voter registration data in a column where I suggest a change in the manner redistricting is conducted nationwide.
The current voter registration numbers in the sixth (rounded off):
Democratic - 183,000
Republican - 141,000
Unaffiliated/Other - 90,000
I thought it would be interesting to look back to the 1992 election, the year Republican Roscoe Bartlett was elected to compare the voter registration numbers. Numbers were taken from Maryland Board of Elections website.
Democratic - 139,922
Republican - 140,979
Unaffiliated/Other - 29,677
Total - 310,578
Thomas Hattery (D) received 46% of the vote - 106,224
Roscoe Bartlett (R) received 54% of the vote - 125,564
Democratic voter turnout was 85%, Republican 84% and Unaffiliated/Other 81%.
It is interesting to note, the even registration between Republicans and Democrats in 1992 and the very high voter turnout in that election.
As the primary nears, the bickering and rumor mongering abounds among the top three Democratic candidates.
State Senate Majority Leader Rob Garagiola, who some believe was handpicked by state senate president Thomas V. Mike Miller, is the front runner among five Democrats vying to unseat Rep. Roscoe Bartlett.
Some Democrats, from the old portions of the sixth district, after suffering for 20 years without Democratic Party support, are resentful Garagiola is from the new portion of the district.
Garagiola has put his years as a state senator and his voting record to work for him as he has racked up endorsements from elected officials throughout the sixth district.
Leaving, Democratic challengers John Delaney and Dr. Milad Pooran to counter with national level endorsements from former President Bill Clinton and former Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean respectfully.
The Pooran campaign is hopeful for a split in the vote between Delaney and Garagiola which would allow them to eke out a victory with a plurality of the vote.
Over, the next three weeks, Democratic voters will need to look past the sniping that often occurs between hotly contested campaigns and focus on the positions the candidates have on the issues important to them.
Democratic voters should plan to visit their websites and attend any remaining forums.
Below are links to Democratic candidates websites:
Rob Garagiola: http://www.robgaragiola.com/
John Delaney: http://www.delaney2012.com/
Milad Pooran: http://miladforcongress.com/
Charles Bailey: http://
Ron Little: http://ronlittle4congress.com/
Republicans, recognizing the voter registration disparity in the district, will try to capitalize on Democratic in-fighting, to help their nominee win on November 6.
Perhaps, wishful thinking on their part, but one only needs to look at the 2002 Maryland Governor election between Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Republican Robert Ehrlich in which Ehrlich emerged as the upset winner.
After, an unremarkable 20 year term in office by Roscoe Bartlett, it is time for a change.
Democratic candidates and voters, mindful of the Townsend and Hattery defeat, should focus on the prize.
Stay Tuned...
---
To receive "Daily Email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Maryland Sixth District Blues
George Wenschhof
Western Maryland Democrats, longing for a change in representation, have reason to be optimistic. Republicans, on the other hand, have reason to sing the Blues.
The change in the sixth congressional district to solid blue illustrates both the strength of the Maryland Democratic Party and the craziness that surrounds the redistricting process.
Population changes reported by the census every ten years, is the justification for redistricting and currently, 36 states do so by authority of their state legislatures. Interestingly, seven states have only one Representative, due to the size of their population.
The remaining states use an independent or bipartisan commission, with a few of those states retaining state legislative approval.
Further demonstrating the nasty partisan aspect of the redistricting process, 13 members of Congress are facing challenges from fellow incumbents of their own party in primaries across the nation this year.
One such race was in Ohio, where Democratic Representatives Dennis Kucinich and Marcy Kaptur ended up facing each other on Tuesday with Kaptur the winner.
In Maryland, strong Democratic voter registration has resulted in a Democratic Governor, 35-47 state senate seats, 98-141 state delegate seats and 6-8 congressional seats.
Over the last ten elections, Democratic candidates, running in Western Maryland’s sixth congressional district averaged 39% of the vote, losing to Republican Representative Roscoe Bartlett each time, due primarily to a Republican voter registration advantage.
As a result of redistricting, Democrats now hold a 42,000 voter registration advantage over Republicans 183,000 to 141,000, with Unaffiliated/Other at 90,000 (totals rounded off).
The *voter registration breakdown by county is:
Montgomery County – D-103,794, R-50,089, Unaffiliated/Others-51,299
Washington County – D-30,906, R-37,280, Unaffiliated/Others-15,778
Frederick County – D-27,967, R-22,907, Unaffiliated/Others-14,526
Allegany County – D-15,888, R-19,821, Unaffiliated/Others-6,228
Garrett County – D-4,805, R-11,434, Unaffiliated/Others-2,206
A quick analysis reveals Montgomery County voters now make up about 57% (103,794) and Frederick County 15% (27,967) of the Democratic registered voters in the new district.
The seat is now considered "Leans Democrat" and is most likely included in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee "Drive for 25" effort to regain a majority in the House.
As a result of the gerrymandered district, five Democrats and eight Republicans, including Bartlett, have filed to run for the seat, fueling all of the political shenanigans voters have come to expect.
The mudslinging between several Democratic candidate campaigns is now in full force, perhaps due to the knowledge the winner will have a voter registration advantage in the general election.
Voters go to the polls on April 3 to determine the candidates to move on to the general election. Early voting begins on Saturday March 24 and runs through Thursday March 29.
Thomas Schaller, in a column published in the Baltimore Sun, summed up the current redistricting process with the following: "In a democracy, voters are supposed to pick the politicians who represent them. But gerrymandering too often inverts this relationship: Politicians pick their voters, typically with incumbent-protection and party-expansion objectives in mind. Is it any wonder that a Congress full of mostly safe incumbents representing contorted districts suffers from record-low approval ratings?”
I’m reminded of the pick-up games I used to play in my youth. Two captains would select the players for their team.
No questions asked in regard to political affiliation; the choices made by the captains were based on selecting the best players to help the team win.
The few states that use an independent or bipartisan commission to handle redistricting have it right and it would be wise for the rest of the states to adopt the same policy.
Perhaps, Representatives would then be elected who will work together to move America forward.
*Thanks to Frederick County Board of Elections for voter registration data.
---
To receive "Daily Email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below.
