UPDATE:
The Washington Post has now endorsed John Delaney in an editorial that contains harsh criticism of Rep. Roscoe Bartlett's record (excerpt below):
WASHINGTON POST: We endorse Mr. Delaney.... In his 10 terms in office, the folksy Mr. Bartlett has not been the most dogmatic Republican on Capitol Hill.... Yet on the fiscal and budgetary issues that have paralyzed Washington, Mr. Bartlett has marched in lockstep with his party’s most doctrinaire elements. He has been a champion of the tea party, refusing to raise taxes under any circumstances, opposing Obamacare and stimulus spending to jump-start the economy....
Mr. Delaney is a newcomer to politics, but he is exceptionally well-versed in domestic issues.... Mr. Bartlett, after 20 years, is something very different: an ideologue who has become a part of the problem in Washington and in Congress.
Below Maryland Juice provides a quick update on the state of the 6th Congressional District race between Democrat John Delaney & incumbent Rep. Roscoe Bartlett. The hyper-fast news cycle is currently focused on the fact that
Delaney didn't vote in two elections in 2006 and 2008. But today, the oddsmakers still think that Bartlett is likely to be ousted from his seat. See a few news items below:
JUICE #1: NATIONAL JOURNAL RATES ROSCOE BARTLETT'S SEAT 3RD MOST LIKELY TO FLIP IN THE NATION - Today,
the oddsmakers at the National Journal rated Maryland's 6th Congressional District seat the third most likely
in the nation to switch from one party to the other (excerpt below):
NATIONAL JOURNAL: For
the first time in four cycles, no wave is emerging for either side, and
that's making the landscape a little trickier to judge than in recent
times.... In our rankings, we consider the candidates' fundraising ability; public and private polling; months of our cumulative reporting and analysis; and, of course, our own gut feelings.... Without further ado, the districts we expect to be competitive this cycle, ranked in order of most likely to change partisan control today (and with last month's rankings noted):
3. (4) MD-06 (R, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett): If you know any
Republicans not employed by Bartlett who think he's going to win, we'd
love to hear from them.
JUICE #2: NYT NOTES TEA PARTY SUPPORT IS A LIABILITY FOR ROSCOE BARTLETT - The main reason Bartlett is in trouble, is because after redistricting he ended up with a district that Obama carried by several points --
mostly thanks to a large chunk of new liberal Montgomery County voters. But his love for Tea Party politics is now making his re-election extremely difficult (
if not impossible). GOP Chair Alex Mooney must be excited to see the seat he covets is looking more and more available every day.
The New York Times today noted that throughout the nation Tea Party favorites like Roscoe Bartlett, are suddenly finding their support for extreme right politics to be a huge political liability (
excerpt below):
NEW YORK TIMES: In states where the Democrats have a clear advantage in the presidential race, Tea Party-blessed incumbents like Representative Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland, Representative Joe Walsh of Illinois and Representative Ann Marie Buerkle of New York are all in deep trouble.
“They are Tea Party stars,” said Representative Steve Israel of New York, who leads the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “And their stars have faded....”
JUICE #3: DELANEY SHORES UP HIS BACKSIDE WITH BILL CLINTON - While Roscoe Bartlett's campaign has floundered, John Delaney's campaign has been cautiously inching forward. But
Roll Call's Abby Livingston announced today that Delaney is stepping things up with a visit from El Presidente Bill Clinton:
ROLL CALL: President Bill Clinton is set to appear Oct. 16 at a Washington, D.C., fundraiser for businessman John Delaney’s campaign for Maryland’s 6th district
No minimum donation was requested for the afternoon event.... The fundraiser is set for the Georgetown home of David and Katherine Bradley, the invitation said.
MORE ON THE CD6 RACE SOON!
