GOP Blogger Calls Out Congressman Roscoe Bartlett for Trying to Pass CD6 Seat to Chief of Staff

A writer for the rightwing Red Maryland blog today accused Rep. Roscoe Bartlett of trying to pass his seat onto his Chief of Staff Bud Otis. Maryland Juice recently noted that Mr. Bartlett's lackluster fundraising makes him a sitting target in the Republican Primary for Maryland's 6th Congressional District. Mr. Bartlett and the GOP have also encouraged litigation against Maryland's 2012 redistricting map, noting "altruistic" arguments like the need for greater minority representation and fewer political considerations in redistricting. If Red Maryland's accusations about Mr. Bartlett are true, they would make him a pretty big hypocrite:

NOTE: Credit for the photo above goes to the Hagerstown Herald-Mail.

I excerpt part of the Red Maryland article below:

We hear Roscoe Bartlett's long time chief of staff, Bud Otis, has been visiting members of the GOP delegation and the business community from Western Maryland soliciting their support for his Congressional run in 2012 to succeed Bartlett. The only problem is that Bartlett is leading everyone to believe he intends to run for reelection.

I call shennanigans.

The redrawn MD-6 will be hard enough to hold with Bartlett running...

If Bartlett intends to retire he needs to let us know so we can have a primary to choose our candidate, not have some functionary foisted off on us at the eleventh hour.

Sounds like Rep. Bartlett just created a reason for GOP candidates to start moving into the race, and for the party to start working around the incumbent.