Meet our newest Blogad sponsor --
Harry Sampson, running in MD1.
Maryland's first Congressional District is currently held by Republican Wayne Gilchrest. The district includes the nine counties of Maryland's eastern shore -- Chesapeake Bay. It snakes in for slivers of Baltimore and Harford counties. It is one of only two Maryland districts that voted for Bush in 2000 (57-40).
Gilchrest is considered a "moderate", and by all indications he is. But it can't be forgotten that at the beginning of every Congress, he casts the all-important vote for Delay.
There are indications this district could be competitive. Gilchrest hasn't faced a serious Democratic challenge in eight years. Hence his large victory totals the past few cycles are irrelevent to gauging his overall level of support. As far as House races are concerned, Gilchrest has never raised much money -- $400K in 2002 mostly to fend off a challenge in the Republican primary (which he has to do again this time around). And the voter registration edge in the district is in the Democrat's favor -- 178,491 Democrats, 162,680, and 48,551 independents.
Given the relatively small amounts of money at play, donating to this race would have a disproportionate benefit to our guy. And as I mentioned yesterday, early seed money for such candidates graps the attention of the DCCC and other donors. This is a race that is off the radar at this time, but you can help make it competitive.
There's no reason a majority Democrat district in Maryland should be held by a Republican.