Early endorsements

Andy Harris is at it again, as he’s piled up endorsements from his fellows in the Maryland General Assembly who live in the First District:

Andy Harris for Congress today announced that it has received the endorsement of 26 members of the General Assembly from Congressional District 1.  The endorsements demonstrate the strong support Dr. Harris, a State Senator, has from within the ranks in Annapolis.  Dr. Harris released the following statement:
 
“In my time in Annapolis, I have worked with senators and delegates, Republicans and Democrats, to do what is right for Marylanders,” Harris said.  “I am grateful for the support of my colleagues and humbled by their willingness to back me nearly a year out from Election Day.  My campaign is built around principles that most Marylanders agree on: the need for fiscal responsibility in Washington, limited government, a strong national defense, and for doctors, not politicians, to be making our health care decisions.  I will continue to seek the support of every voter in the district and work with our communities to ensure a better future for Maryland.”
 
Republican General Assembly members who are endorsing Andy Harris for Congress:
 
Senator Larry Haines
Senator Ed Reilly
Senator Bryan Simonaire
Senator Barry Glassman 
Senator Nancy Jacobs 
Senator Richard Colburn 
Senator Lowell Stoltzfus

Delegate Wade Kach
Delegate Susan Aumann
Delegate Joe Boteler
Delegate Bill Frank
Delegate J.B. Jennings
Delegate Pat McDonough
Delegate Rick Impallaria
Delegate Donna Stifler
Delegate Wayne Norman
Delegate Susan McComas
Delegate Ron George
Delegate Steve Schuh
Delegate Nic Kipke
Delegate James King
Delegate Don Dwyer
Delegate Tony McConkey
Delegate Addie Eckardt
Delegate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio
Delegate Page Elmore

I don’t know about you, but I noticed that, aside from the sprinkling of Democrats who hold seats in the First District, one name in particular was missing from the list. Think Upper Shore.

It was about this time in 2007 that Senator E.J. Pipkin jumped into the Congressional race and once again he’s not publicly backing Harris. This may or may not mean that he’s going to make another bid in 2010 but the omission is glaring enough for me to notice. (In fact, no representative from Pipkin’s District 36 is on the list because Delegates Richard Sossi, Michael Smigiel, and Mary Roe Walkup are also missing. But they didn’t run for Congress in 2008.)

You may also recall the rumor that Pipkin was simply a stalking horse placed by former Congressman Wayne Gilchrest to siphon votes away from Harris in return for a Gilchrest endorsement of Pipkin as his heir apparent in 2010. Obviously what came to pass was much different as Gilchrest ended up endorsing the Democrat instead, and there’s little to suggest that Wayne would back off that stance in 2010 to give Harris the nod.

So it’s not particularly surprising to me that most of Andy’s colleagues in the Maryland General Assembly would back him because they did last time too. The trick will be seeing how much help they can give him next year as many of them run for their own re-election.

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer.