Elected officials throw support behind Gilchrest primary challenger Harris

CROFTON, Md. — Congressional candidate Dr. Andy Harris stood in front of a packed house at a meet-and-greet as a letter from a supporter was read. The house belonged to state Sen. Janet Greenip, and the letter was from former state Del. Herb McMillan.
It was about their fellow Republican, Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (Md.).

“He’s voted for budget-busting spending, against funding our troops and for immigration policies that mock the rule of law,” griped McMillan about Gilchrest.

{mosads}If Harris, a physician and state senator, is unable to beat incumbent Gilchrest in a primary this February, it won’t be for lack of support from local elected officials. From Greenip and McMillan to former Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R), an unprecedented number of GOP leaders in the area are publicly supporting his bid to finally knock off the nine-term maverick.

Harris has even courageously worked the halls of Congress in search of support for a primary against one of its own.
But to Gilchrest, it’s the same play on a different stage.

Despite a brief respite in 2006, the Vietnam veteran and former high school teacher has been confronted with primary challengers throughout his 17 years in Congress. It comes with the territory when your voting record routinely places you to the left of almost all of your Republican colleagues.

“This is no different than any campaign we’ve been through before,” Gilchrest said. “When I’ve gone to Republican meetings over the last 17 years, I see the same faces. Some are supporters, and some have always been opponents.”

What’s more, Gilchrest insists that the issue du jour in the race — his opposition to the Iraq war — is a smokescreen for the same issues that have commanded his opponents’ opposition in the past: abortion, flag-burning and gay rights.

Harris’s meet-and-greet indicated that Iraq is indeed one of many issues — “One unpopular war does not a party make,” remarked one attendee — but Harris saved the best for last by closing with Iraq after a 20-minute speech on a laundry list of issues.

“Philosophically, you don’t get that much more different than me and my opponent,” Harris told the crowd.

Harris’s camp disagrees with the characterization that its campaign is not novel. It is raising more money than previous primary challenges and bringing in many supporters who have stayed publicly neutral in the past, like state Sen. Lowell Stoltzfus (R), as well as former Gilchrest supporters, including Ehrlich, who will hold a fundraiser for Harris in October.

The endorsement by state Sen. Nancy Jacobs (R) last week gave Harris seven of the eight GOP state senators who represent portions of Gilchrest’s district, as well as several delegates from Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties.

Harris said at the meet-and-greet that he might also announce, at some point, endorsements from members of Congress.

State Sen. Richard Colburn (R), a Harris supporter who lost to Gilchrest in the 2004 primary, said Gilchrest’s opposition to the war in Iraq has given elected officials an outlet to make public their previously unofficial opposition.

He and 2002 Gilchrest opponent David Fischer say there was widespread private opposition to Gilchrest among Republicans during those primaries, but almost nobody was willing to go public.

Gilchrest won primaries in 2002 and 2004 with 60 and 62 percent of the vote, respectively. Last year, he ran unopposed among Republicans.

“Republican elected officials are fed up,” said Fischer, who is also supporting Harris. “It sort of feeds into the national mood, where the Republican incumbents are being more heavily scrutinized.”

The Club for Growth, which took a late crack at knocking off Gilchrest in 2002, will try again this year, and Harris is the first primary challenger the group has endorsed. It is launching a website Tuesday morning called waynegilchrestisaliberal.com and is promising a ramped-up effort, including ads.

For their part, state and national party leaders who sided with Gilchrest in the past — including an endorsement from a popular President Bush in 2002 — appear set to be publicly neutral this time. National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.) has issued a statement of support for Gilchrest, but the committee itself is neutral.

Meanwhile, Gilchrest’s camp is not emphasizing endorsements and has not assembled a complete list yet. Fellow anti-war Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel (Neb.) will be in town this weekend for Gilchrest’s annual Bull Roast picnic fundraiser.

Harris’s case comes down to basic ideology. He believes the district has drifted more conservative in recent years and should have a more conservative voice in Congress. It voted 62 percent for Bush in 2004.

“Wayne is a nice guy; he just doesn’t represent this district,” Harris said.

The argument has been used before, and Gilchrest says it’s invalid. His general election take has been 69 percent or greater in each of the last three cycles.

“That is so absurd; my numbers have grown over the years,” Gilchrest said. “The district votes every two years. What are we, restraining conservative voters from going to the polls?”

Apart from the issues, a regional divide should also play out.

In the 2002 primary, Gilchrest won 67-30 on the rural Eastern Shore, where he’s from, but only 52-44 in the suburbs in the west.
Harris is from the suburbs, as is another primary challenger, Joe Arminio, who could conceivably steal some of the anti-Gilchrest vote there. It’s not yet clear how serious Arminio’s candidacy is.

Three Democrats have entered the race, and national Democrats feel they could vie for the district against Harris. Frank Kratovil and Chris Robinson have raised $80,000 and $60,000, respectively, through the second quarter, while perennial candidate Kostas Alexakis has also filed.