Gazette Endorses Democrat John Delaney & Republican Roscoe Bartlett for 6th Congressional District Primaries

The Gazette has issued endorsements for the 6th Congressional District Primaries. On the Republican side they endorse Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, and on the Democratic side they endorse John Delaney. We print excerpts from their endorsement below, followed by a press release from John Delaney's campaign:

GAZETTE: Incumbent Republican Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett is fending off a horde of challengers who now see him as vulnerable as the district becomes more liberal.

Yet redistricting seems to have revitalized the 10-term octogenarian. His newfound energy, joined by a wealth of experience and a message regarding fossil fuels that will play well with even staunch Democrats in Montgomery County, make Bartlett the right choice to represent his party in the November election....

He also has been a steady Republican vote (siding with his party 90 percent of the time), but not an ideologue (he voted against reauthorization of the Patriot Act).

Rightly, Bartlett gets the most criticism for his lack of effectiveness. The vast majority of bills he has sponsored never became laws and he has been railing about peak oil since the mid-’90s as gas prices top $4 a gallon....

In the Democratic primary, John Delaney deserves the nod in this contest. While both he and chief rival state Sen. Rob Garagiola have imperfections — Delaney is a political newcomer while Garagiola is an Annapolis insider who has failed to fully disclose his lobbying history — Delaney is the more genuine candidate and brings a strong focus on job creation, an executive’s perspective on the economy and moderate views on social issues.

While Delaney’s view that an outsider can change the tone and approach of Congress as a whole is idealistic, it’s a better alternative than that of a tenured lawmaker who is known for political expediency and has been less than forthcoming about his lobbying work....

Delaney’s key platform issues include extending tax breaks for many Americans and allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire; creating an infrastructure bank to invest in communications, transportation and energy; instituting a federal carbon tax; implementing congressional term limits; and preserving the Affordable Care Act....

PRESS RELEASE

Gazette Endorses Democratic Congressional Candidate

John Delaney in 6th District Primary

Editorial cites Delaney’s “strong focus on job creation,”

calls candidate “passionate, sincere and sharp”

In the latest sign of escalating campaign momentum, Democratic Congressional candidate John Delaney has been endorsed by the Gazette  in the 6th District Primary. Praising Delaney’s “focus on job creation” the Gazette concluded that “John Delaney deserves the nod in this contest.” The Gazette’s endorsement comes on the heels of a number of major endorsements for Delaney, including President Clinton and the Washington Post.

“I am truly honored to receive the Gazette’s endorsement,” said Delaney. “The momentum behind our campaign has been incredible. It is clear that voters want new leadership on jobs and a new approach to government from their elected officials.”

The Gazette commended Delaney’s policy expertise, noting that Delaney “glides effortlessly between conversations about federal policy on education, energy and immigration.” According to the Gazette, Delaney is a “a better alternative than that of a tenured lawmaker who is known for political expediency and has been less than forthcoming about his lobbying work.”

Delaney is the only Democratic candidate in the 6th District race to receive a newspaper’s endorsement.

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