CD6: Joe Krysztoforski Releases Internal Poll Showing Dead Heat with Rep. Roscoe Bartlett // Sen. Brinkley in Distant Third

UPDATE: The Krysztoforski campaign has released some details on their polling sample, as well as county-level results of their survey. Note: Maryland Juice makes no claims about the data below.

CD6: Joe Krysztoforski Poll Results // Details on Sample and County Tabs

BACKGROUND: This weekend, State Senator David Brinkley released the results of internal polling showing his campaign in a dead heat with incumbent Rep. Roscoe Bartlett. A rival campaign immediately cried foul, alleging that one of its supporters participated in the poll and claimed the caller only asked about Bartlett and Brinkley. They complained that the pollsters completely omitted the other GOP candidates from their questionnaire.

Today Tea Party candidate Joe Krysztoforski has released his own internal poll results, and he claims the he -- not David Brinkley -- is the actual leading challenger to Roscoe Bartlett. In Kryszotorski's poll, he is in a head heat with the incumbent, and State Senator Brinkley is in a distant third. See the press release below.


For Immediate Release

Krysztoforski Leads the Pack
TelePoll Shows Candidate Has Strong Grassroots Support

April 1, 2011 (Frederick, MD) – A poll of registered voters across Maryland’s 6th Congressional district was commissioned by Krysztoforski’s campaign committee. The Poll conducted between March 19th, 2012 and March 30th, 2012 shows Krysztoforski and Bartlett in a statistical dead heat.

The results are consistence with other straw polls;  The Frederick County GOP’s  January poll showing Krysztoforski with 46.2% and Bartlett with 46.7% of the vote, the poll conducted by the Hagerstown Tea Party, following their candidate forum, showing Krysztoforski with 26% and Bartlett with 27% of the vote and the political blog marylandjuice.com’s grassroots intensity poll,  showing Krysztoforski’s grassroots support at 47% and Bartlett’s at 13%. 

CD6: Tea Party Dischord? 18-Year-Veteran Staffer for Rep. Roscoe Bartlett Quits to Work for Rival Joe Krysztoforski

A Maryland Juice reader sent us an unusual note this week. They reported that Myra Kidd a longtime aide to Rep. Roscoe Bartlett recently quit her job and is working for his opponent, Tea Party candidate Joe Krysztoforski. Notably, Krysztoforski has won the support of Tea Party groups and came in first place in Maryland Juice's grassroots intensity straw poll. See the email message below:

SOURCE: At Saturday's CD6 forum at Allegany College I overheard two Krysztoforski staffers dicussing a Meet and Greet held in Oakland on Tuesday, organized by a recent addition to the campaign staff. I was surprised when in the next sentence she named Myra Kidd as the organizer of the event. I didn't believe what I had heard.

I know Myra Kidd, she manages Bartlett's district office in Washington County and has worked for him for over 18 years. After the forum I checked into it further and found out that Myra resigned as Bartlett's District Office Manager four weeks back and she is now working on the Krysztoforski campaign. I wonder what she knows that we don't?

A brief check of the Congressional staff salary database confirms Ms. Kidd's recent employment in Rep. Bartlett's office. After some prodding around, Maryland Juice also received the flyer below announcing a Krysztoforski event hosted by Myra Kidd. A top staff defection this close to an election is a bit unusual. Does this represent true Tea Party and ideological dissatisfaction with Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, or is something else going on?

Former Aide to Rep. Roscoe Bartlett Myra Kidd Hosts Event for Rival Tea Party Candidate

CD6 GOP JUICEBLENDER: Rob Garagiola Push Poll, Sen. David Brinkley Apologizes to Burger King, Negative Robocalls & More!

With the first ballots due to be cast during early voting tomorrow, Maryland Juice is noticing a few things things about the 6th Congressional District Republican Primary:

THE STATUS OF THE CD6 GOP RACE // FOUR QUICK POINTS

1. There is a great deal of dissatisfaction among Republican activists about Rep. Roscoe Bartlett.
2. That dissatisfaction has lead to candidacies from CD6 candidates representing the Liberty, Tea Party, and Norquist wings of the Maryland GOP.
3. But some of the elected challengers (ie; Sen. David Brinkley & Del. Kathy Afzali) are spending more time attacking each other than the incumbent Rep. Bartlett. That may help draw votes to party activists like Joe Krzystoforski and Robin Ficker.
4. As a result, Roscoe Bartlett hasn't had to spend much of his campaign cash, and it seems as if none of the challengers has so far succeeded in turning this into a head-to-head race.

Early voting begins tomorrow, so the candidates are busy throwing punches right now to try and get some traction. See a few examples below:

SEN. DAVID BRINKLEY APOLOGIZES TO BURGER KING: We previously reported that prominent Tea Party blogger Ann Corcoran was pissed off at State Senator David Brinkley for what she believed to be demeaning treatment of Del. Kathy Afzali (the only woman in the CD6 race). Sen. Brinkley suggested that Ms. Afzali would be better off working at Burger King than in the Assembly, due to the whoppers she was telling. Some felt that this sort of treatment would never be used for one of Mr. Brinkley's male competitors:

POTOMAC TEA PARTY REPORT: It is one thing to say she is exaggerating her record in Annapolis and quite another to suggest she should be working at Burger King.  Can you imagine for one minute that Brinkley’s staffer would suggest Roscoe Bartlett, or any of the men in this race should be working at Burger King.  Not a chance!  What?  Are attractive blond women somehow fair game?  This has got to stop!...

Is it any wonder so few women are willing to run for elected office?

Time for an apology Mr. Brinkley!

DAVID BRINKLEY TEMPER FLARE-UP: Rather than apologizing to Del. Afzali for suggesting she should work at Burger King, Sen. David Brinkley apologized to Burger King! Wow. The Frederick News-Posts's Bethany Rodgers reported on the flare-up (see excerpt below):

FREDERICK NEWS-POST: At the core of the exchange was a comment made by Delegate Kathy Afzali during a Monday night Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce forum for hopefuls in the race to represent the 6th Congressional District. A battle of news releases began Tuesday, when Sen. David Brinkley's campaign circulated a statement titled, "Afzali should be working at Burger King...."

Afzali had said that during her time in the Maryland General Assembly, she had been "passing bills that Senator Brinkley tried for 20 years to pass," according to a recording of the forum. The news release pointed out that in fact Afzali, a freshman lawmaker, has never passed a bill through the legislature.

Afzali responded the next day by stating that Brinkley had crossed the line....

"One must wonder if Brinkley would have made such comments toward a male candidate based on his previous, well-documented treatment of women." (Double zing!)

Afzali said she was referring to Brinkley's troubled marriage, which ended in 2010, two years after police went to his home for an argument between the couple....

Brinkley's campaign spokesman, Don Murphy, then sent out another release offering an apology ... to the people of Burger King. Someone who lies on their résumé isn't fit for work in Congress. Or at a fast-food restaurant, Murphy indicated.

TEA PARTY DISCHORD: This once again set off Tea Party blogger Ann Corcoran, who noted the following dissatisfaction about the status quo of the Republican Party:

POTOMAC TEA PARTY REPORT: Last night the Hagerstown Tea Party hosted another candidate forum... There was no particular highlight that stands out from last night.  The lowlight however came in the opening minutes as each candidate was given a couple of minutes to say what they were all about.  That charming (not!) MD Senator David Brinkley took some of his time to lambaste Del. Kathy Afzali for leaving Annapolis before a certain vote yesterday which was a personal assault that moderators had just moments before forbidden.

One of the motivating concerns for Tea Partiers from the outset is that generally we are sick of a certain style of politicking.

Most of us just want to hear the issues discussed, hear the candidates opinions and plans, look at their records, and observe who works hard to meet voters and establish a grassroots campaign.   I think everyone is sick to death of personal attacks and dirty campaigning.

HAGERSTOWN TEA PARTY STRAW POLL: The Potomac Tea Party Report also notes that Republican candidate Joe Krysztoforski (the winner of Maryland Juice's GOP grassroots straw poll) nearly tied Rep. Roscoe Bartlett in a recent Hagerstown Tea Party straw poll. Ms. Corcoran comments:

If the Krysztoforski vote surprises you, it doesn’t surprise me.   He has worked very hard over a couple of years to build a grassroots network throughout the district.

1. Roscoe Bartlett 27%
2. Joseph Krysztoforski 26%
3. Brandon Rippeon 12%
4. Robert Coblentz 8%
5. Robin Ficker 8%
6. Kathy Afzali 7%
7. David Brinkley 5%
8. Peter James 4%
9. Ron Little 1%
10. John Delaney 1% (Did not attend)

DAVID BRINKLEY ROBOCALL: Meanwhile, a Twitter user reports on a robocall she received from State Senator David Brinkley's campaign. It came by way of a taped message from Gaithersburg Councilmember Henry Marraffa boasting that Mr. Brinkley "beat the Garagiola gas tax." (Personally, I think David Brinkley's campaign is hopeless at this point).

GARAGIOLA PUSH-POLL? - Last bit of campaign gossip out there comes (again) from Potomac Tea Party Report writer Ann Corcoran. She has a quick description of an alleged "push poll" from State Senator Rob Garagiola's campaign:

...just as I was getting ready to leave for the event last evening, I got a “push-poll” phone call clearly from Garagiola’s gang.  I had to laugh as I listened to the questions because they were so unbelievably slanted that I joked on several occasions with the caller about the bias.  (I think he thought it was funny too).   Garagiola must be loaded with money for calls like the one I received and all the pieces of mail we receive from him almost daily it seems.

ROBIN FICKER ON THE PROSPECT OF WAR WITH IRAN: Meanwhile, Robin Ficker and a few of the CD6 Republican candidates appear (in some respects) to have a stronger anti-war positions than some Democrats. What's up with that?




MUCH MORE ON THE CD6 BATTLE SOON!

LINKS: 6th Congressional District Candidates Fundraising Reports // See Where They Are Getting Their Money

Curious who is paying for the CD6 candidates' campaign? Maryland Juice decided to compile a series of links to the 6th Congressional District candidates' campaign finance reports. I only linked to the information that was available, but the FEC should be posting new reports from the candidates soon. According to the FEC's reporting schedule, TODAY is the filing deadline for the next batch of reports. We expect these will start appearing online any day now, so check back on the links below.

In the meantime, some of the candidates have been posting "48-hour notices," which are reports of last minute contributions. You can see who has been donating below:

Democrats:

1. Charles Bailey - summary - filings
2. John Delaney - summary - individual donors - PACS - filings
3. Rob Garagiola - summary - individual donors - PACS - filings
4. Ron Little - summary (no filings yet)
5. Milad Pooran - summary - individual donors - PACS - filings

Republicans:

1. Kathy Afzali - summary - individual donors - PACS - filings
2. Roscoe Bartlett - summary - individual donors - PACS - filings
3. David Brinkley - summary - individual donors - PACS - filings
4. Robert Coblentz - filings
5. Robin Ficker - summary - individual donors - PACS - filings
6. Peter James - summary (no filings yet)
7. Joe Kryzstoforski - summary - individual donors - PACS - filings
8. Brandon Rippeon - summary - individual donors - PACS - filings

CD6: "Free State Patriots" Endorse Joe Krysztoforski for Congress // No Tea Party Love for Roscoe Bartlett?

PRESS RELEASE

“Free State Patriots” Endorses Krysztoforski for 

US Congress in Maryland 06

Free State Patriots, a state-wide non-partisan group in Maryland, announces its endorsement of Joe Krysztoforski, candidate for US Congress in Maryland cd 06.   His name will appear on the Republican primary ballot in the elections to be held on April 3, 2012.  This endorsement was made after an inclusive, consensus vetting process based on the group's stated commitment to the principles of liberty and limited government as set forth in the US constitution.

The Free State Patriots vetting process initially qualified candidates to participate by requiring their submitting a standard application and questionnaire form, specifying the candidate's position on such matters as deficit spending, welfare entitlements, foreign affairs, and immigration policy.  On March 3, 2012, a public forum was held in Brunswick, MD to personally question candidates on these various issues.   A video and audio recording was made of this forum and selected portions placed on the FSP website for public review and comment.   Video clip of Joe Krysztoforski is at: http://youtu.be/I4Cj5guvT50

CD6 Grassroots Straw Poll Winners: Democrat John Delaney & Republican Joe Krysztoforski // DETAILS INSIDE

This week Maryland Juice conducted a straw poll of readers to gauge the intensity of grassroots opinion in the 6th Congressional District primary elections. The results are not what we would have predicted several months ago, and yet they are not terribly shocking given the current state of the races. On the Democratic side, businessman John Delaney won the Democratic straw poll by a healthy margin -- albeit far short of a majority. In the Republican straw poll, former Congressional candidate Joe Krysztoforski won the GOP straw poll -- also by a decent margin. Krysztoforski previously claimed to have amassed hundreds of volunteers, given his popularity among Tea Party activists.

Republican Straw Poll Results (833 ballots cast):

1. Joe Krysztoforski - 397
2. Robin Ficker - 256
3. Roscoe Bartlett - 110
4. Kathy Afzali - 21
5. Peter James - 21
6. David Brinkley - 19
7. Brandon Rippeon - 8
8. Robert Coblentz - 1

Democratic Straw Poll Results (970 ballots cast):

1. John Delaney - 462
2. Rob Garagiola - 363
3. Ron Little - 82
4. Milad Pooran - 57
5. Charles Bailey - 6

CD6: GOP Grassroots Poll // STATUS: 1st = Joe Krysztoforski, 2nd = Roscoe Bartlett, 3rd = Robin Ficker

Maryland Juice is currently running a straw poll to gauge the intensity of grassroots support for candidates in the 6th Congressional District Republican Primary. Not surprisingly, Tea Partier Joe Krysztoforski and anti-tax activist Robin Ficker are running strong against Rep. Bartlett. Both have claimed to have large volunteer bases at previous points during the race.

You can vote in this poll until WED MAR 21 @ 12:01 AM. Then we will declare the grassroots winners.

CD6 JuiceBlender // Roscoe Bartlett Earmarks Benefit His Farm, Robin Ficker on TV, Joe Krysztoforski Claims 400 Volunteers

Maryland Juice hasn't reported on the CD6 Republican Primary in the last few days, but that doesn't mean the numerous GOP candidates trying to knock-out Rep. Roscoe Bartlett have been quiet. Below Maryland Juice prints a quick roundup of recent news from the campaign trail:

JUICE #1: Roscoe Bartlett Conflict of Interest - The Washington Post yesterday published an in-depth study that lists members of Congress who steered federal tax dollars to projects that would benefit them personally:

Maybe this explains how it is that Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (a multi-millionaire) is also Maryland's richest member of Congress.

JUICE #2: Robin Ficker Bashes Bartlett on TV - Former Delegate Ficker handled himself pretty well on a televised interview with News Channel 8's Bruce DePuyt. During the segment (which begins around 33:30 below), Ficker discusses how the fact that MoCo is now half of CD6 gives him an advantage. More importantly, Ficker also calls out Rep. Roscoe Bartlett's aforementioned conflict of interest on the television show and also dismissed State Senator David Brinkley's carpetbagger campaign (watch below):