MD GOP Chaos: Party Chair Alex Mooney Retiring to Challenge Bartlett, Leaves Party in Debt // Sen. Shank & MoCo GOP Chair Endorse Brinkley

The latest buzz in the Maryland political world has concerned a possible retirement from GOP Congressman Roscoe Bartlett. News of his Chief of Staff Bud Otis campaigning for the seat is causing a stampede of candidates into the race, including Maryland Republican Party Chair Alex Mooney. The Gazette's Sarah Breitenbach recently reported on what would happen to the State Party with Mooney's return to the campaign trail:

The GOP could see more turnover in leadership in the next few weeks if Chairman Alexander X. Mooney officially files to run for the 6th Congressional District seat....

It is against party bylaws for a chairman to actively campaign for political office, Ready said.

If Mooney officially files for the race, first Vice Chairwoman Diana Waterman would take over the party, and a special election for a new chairman would take place 60 days after that, he said.

Mooney's announcement of his exploratory committee stated a more clear departure date:

Mr. Mooney plans to officially file as a candidate for Congress in January, at which time he would step down from his position as Chairman of the Maryland Republican Party and take a leave of absence from his job running a non-profit organization which trains journalists.

Montgomery Democrats Issue Letter Condemning Local GOP Extremist Speaker

UPDATE: Council President Valerie Ervin is also a signatory to the Montgomery Democrats' letter. Also, the Chevy Chase Patch reports that Democrats have decided to engage the Montgomery GOP in dialogue, as they're now hosting a 9/24 discussion prior to the Fred Grandy event: 

Earlier that day, a panel presentation—"Is 'Creeping Shariah' a Real Threat or a Trumped Up Scare Tactic?"—will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wisconsin Place Community Center (5311 Friendship Blvd., Chevy Chase).

The speakers invited to this event include Jamie Raskin (Maryland state senator and professor of constitutional law at American University), Corey Saylor (national legislative director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations), civil liberties activist Thomas Nephew and Fred Grandy ("or any designated representative," the invitation says).

Maryland Juice previously broke news of the Chevy Chase Republican Women's Club hosting an event featuring controversial speaker Fred Grandy. In our prior coverage, we noted:

Fred Grandy is a former member of the U.S. House from Iowa, but he is better known as 'Gopher' from the television series the Love Boat. He recently gained notoriety after being fired from his most recent gig as a morning radio personality on WMAL. Grandy's increasingly anti-Muslim show was pushed off the air after on-air comments his wife made....

Today, a number of Democratic officials issued a letter condemning the Montgomery County GOP. Their letter, which appears below, is signed by Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, Senate Majority Leader Rob Garagiola, House Majority Leader Kumar Barve, and a number of state and county officials:

Saqib Ali vs. Maryland GOP "Crazies" // Plus, an Op-ed Steel Cage Match: Young Dem vs. Old GOP

UPDATE: Montgomery County GOP Chair Mark Uncapher responds to this article in the comments section. Check it out!

Earlier this month, Maryland Juice broke the story about a controversial Republican Women's Club event being held in Chevy Chase. At issue was/is their choice of speaker: former Congressman and local radio personality, Fred Grandy. In our prior coverage, we noted:

Fred Grandy is a former member of the U.S. House from Iowa, but he is better known as 'Gopher' from the television series the Love Boat. He recently gained notoriety after being fired from his most recent gig as a morning radio personality on WMAL. Grandy's increasingly anti-Muslim show was pushed off the air after on-air comments his wife made....

The fight is now blowing up, with the Montgomery County GOP Chair stepping into the fray, multiple protests, and a lot of angry right-wing blog entries.  

Read Maryland Juice's snapshot below -- and -- check out our new blog feature: "Op-Ed Steel Cage Match." Today's competitors? Young DEM vs. Old GOP.

Montgomery Liberals Protest Chevy Chase Women's Republican Club

Last week, we reported on the controversial choice of speaker for an upcoming Chevy Chase Women's Republican Club meeting. The GOP group invited former Congressman and WMAL radio personality, Fred Grandy, to speak at their next meeting. As we noted earlier, Grandy was forced off the air and has had recent speaking invitations revoked over complaints about his show becoming increasingly anti-muslim.

The Chevy Chase Patch now reports that former Delegate Saqib Ali is calling on the GOP group to cancel the event: