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For Roscoe Bartlett, Tuesday's congressional primary in Maryland will be the easy part. The hard part, however, will come in November.
Bartlett -- the second-oldest member of the House (he's a month older than John Dingell) -- is the incumbent in the Maryland's redrawn 6th congressional district. Often described in profiles as "quirky", Bartlett is without a doubt one of the most idiosyncratic (and interesting) members of Congress. A 10-term congressman, Bartlett is a goat farmer, an inventor, and a former college professor who holds a Ph.D. in physiology. He's a member of the Tea Party caucus, opposed the wars in Afghanistan and Iran, and was the first member of the GOP caucus to buy a Toyota Prius.
He's also a marked man.
Maryland's new map was redrawn by Democrats who wanted to take him out. The 6th district -- which comprised most of the western part of Maryland -- was redrawn to also include a good chunk of Washington, DC suburbs of Montgomery County. The result is what was once rural solidly Republican district -- giving President Obama nearly 40% of the vote in 2008 -- is now a Democratic district that gave Obama 56% of the vote. According to Cook Political Report, it's the biggest redistricting swing in the country.
Bartlett is not going down with a fight, however; he's raised more money than all seven of his Republican primary opponents combined. Nothing if not cantankerous, Bartlett insists he's the only Republican that can hold onto the seat. He's expected to win his primary fairly easily, but faces a big challenge in November.
The Democrats are running a bitter campaign to take on Bartlett. State Sen. Rob Garagiola was thought to be the favorite, and the district was reportedly redrawn to help his chances. But that rankled others, especially wealthy financier John Delaney. Delaney, who founded commercial lender CapitalSource, has chipped in $1.3 million of his own fortune into his campaign so far.
The race has turned nasty as Garagiola has attacked Delaney as a "loan shark" foreclosure profiteer, and highlighted the fact that Delaney doesn't live in the district (his residence is just outside the new lines.) Delaney has fired back trying to cast Garagiola as an "Annapolis insider" who once worked as a lobbyist. The state Democratic establishment is clearly favoring Garagiola: Steny Hoyer has endorsed him, and late this week Gov. Martin O'Malley did as well.
Delaney claims support from Bill Clinton.
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Here is a great opportunity to dump one of the old timers in Congress.
I think it's time for Bartlett to stay home with his goats. They appreciate him.
Dingell has been in Congress for 57, yes 57, years.
John Conyers has been in Congress 47, yes 47 years.
NBC Today Show's guest co-host on Tuesday: Sarah Palin!
When voting this November remember: Ryan's endorsement of Romney is the kiss of death! Face it folks! The TEA-GOP-Republican party's only goal is to kill any accomplishments for and by the president. Call what you will, this is their primary goal. Make no mistake, the Terrifying Errant Activist(TEA) party are alive and thriving in local and state politics. The Tea Party has strongholds like Virginia, Colorado, Louisiana, South Carolina, Florida and Texas and want to lull the population to sleep while they maneuver their people into power. They are very active locally and control monies, local infrastructure and power. By alienating women, they stand less of a chance to get close. The Hispanic/Latino sect realize these candidates are dead-set against their taking part in America. The Black community has seen the hatred in Florida and many will vote for president Obama because they can. The sad part is the roadblocks the TEA party controlled states have already set into motion may have some effect, if allowed. Privatizing Medicare and Medicaid and vouchering both systems is their primary goal if allowed.