THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 o
Page A-5
Candidate Bongino heads Teachers back incumbents to Potomac to raise money Union will interview candidates running for open seats in January n
Republican tries to distance himself from tea party label n
BY
BY
STAFF WRITER
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
Congressional candidate Dan Bongino stood at the front of the crowded room, as listeners nodded in agreement with many points he made. Bongino, who’s seeking the Republican nomination for Maryland’s 6th District seat, stopped at the large, wellappointed home in Potomac on Dec. 3 to raise campaign money. Bongino shook hands and chatted with more than 90 donors who had come to meet him. As of Tuesday, the event had generated $19,550, with checks and financial commitments continuing to come in, spokeswoman Karla Graham said. Bongino, a former Secret Service agent who lives in Severna Park, said he and his wife are looking to move into the 6th District as soon as possible. He said he understands the argument that a candidate needs to run in the congressional district where he lives to be more ideologically aligned with the voters there. But he also argued that first-term Rep. John Delaney (D) of Potomac is “light years away” from the values of most voters in the district, which stretches from the Washington suburbs of southern Montgomery County to the mountains of Garrett County. When he was elected, Delaney said his top priority was increasing America’s competitiveness in the global market to help create jobs. His platform included 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. Delaney doesn’t live in the 6th District, either; his house is less than a half-mile from the district line after it was redrawn in 2011. According to the U.S. Constitution, members of Congress must live in the state, but not the district, they represent. David E. Vogt III of Frederick County, a Marine veteran who served in Afghanistan, also is running in the GOP primary in June. In the front hallway of Arlene Hillerson’s Potomac home, a table was set up where people could buy copies of Bongino’s book “Life Inside the Bubble,” about his time in the Secret Service and his decision to leave the agency and run an unsuccessful challenge against Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D) of Pikesville in 2012. The book was listed on Thursday No. 13 on The New York Times’ list of bestselling e-books, but has since fallen out of the top 25. Writing the book was a delicate matter for him, because he didn’t want to damage the agency’s relationship with the president, Bongino said. The main speaker on Dec. 3 was Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert (R), who addressed the crowd in front of a large stone fireplace with a yellow “Bongino for Congress” banner. He said Bongino would guest host Sean Hannity’s radio show on Dec. 23, drawing an approving chorus of applause. Gohmert, a regular guest himself on conservative radio and television shows, defended the Republicans’ decision to push to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which led to a threeweek government shutdown in October. Gohmert asked: If you know that’s what is best for the country, why wouldn’t you try to do it? Maryland needs Bongino in Congress, Gohmert said. “Could we possibly do better than someone who’s willing to take a bullet for his country?” he said. While he’s often associated with the tea party movement,
LINDSAY A. POWERS
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Congressional candidate Dan Bongino addresses attendees at a campaign fundraiser on Dec. 3 in Potomac. Bongino said he doesn’t like to get into the semantics of who is in the tea party and who isn’t. He said he views the tea party as normal Americans tired of paying more in taxes. He has nearly 42,000 “likes” on his Facebook page, and said a good portion of them identify themselves as Democrats.
Bongino said people want candidates who can take the edge off rhetoric while staying true to their principles. “Don’t let anyone pigeonhole you as the angry Republican,” he said. rmarshall@gazette.net
The Montgomery County Education Association announced Friday that it is endorsing 24 Maryland General Assembly incumbents running for re-election from the county. The union said in a statement that each candidate “has a strong record as an advocate for public education.” The teachers union did not include recommendations for open seats in the General Assembly. The union is scheduled to interview candidates running for open seats in January. Several state legislators are running for different positions next year, opening up seats for challengers. Some are not running again. Del. Susan C. Lee (D-Dist. 16) and Del. Luiz R.S. Simmons (D-Dist. 17) are both running for Senate positions. Del. C. William Frick (DDist. 16) and Sen. Brian E. Frosh (D-Dist. 16) are both running for attorney general. Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Dist. 20) is running for governor. Del. Sam Arora (D-Dist. 19)
INITIAL RECOMMENDATIONS
The union’s support for General Assembly incumbents includes:
Sen. Karen S. Montgomery (Dist. 14)
Del. Alfred C. Carr Jr. (Dist. 18)
Del. Anne R. Kaiser (Dist. 14)
Del. Jeff Waldstreicher (Dist. 18)
Del. Eric Luedtke (Dist. 14) Del. Craig J. Zucker (Dist. 14) Sen. Brian J. Feldman (Dist. 15) Del. Kathleen M. Dumais (Dist. 15) Del. Aruna Miller (Dist. 15) Del. Ariana Kelly (Dist. 16) Del. Kumar P. Barve (Dist. 17) Del. James Gilchrist (Dist. 17) Sen. Richard S. Madaleno (Dist. 18)
is not running for re-election and Sen. Jennie M. Forehand (D-Dist. 17) had not announced her plans as of this week. Doug Prouty, the union’s president, said the pool of candidates vying for the General Assembly’s seats that will be vacant is “very interesting.” “I’m very pleased with the folks we have running for open seats right now,” Prouty said. “As a group of folks, they seem to be engaged in learning about the school system and very supportive of the school system.” Prouty said he would like to see the open-seat candidates
Del. Ana Sol Gutiérrez (Dist. 18) Sen. Roger Manno (Dist. 19) Del. Bonnie Cullison (Dist. 19) Del. Benjamin F. Kramer (Dist. 19) Sen. Jamie B. Raskin (Dist. 20) Del. Sheila Ellis Hixson (Dist. 20) Del. Tom Hucker (Dist. 20) Sen. Nancy J. King (Dist. 39) Del. Charles E. Barkley (Dist. 39) Del. Kirill Reznik (Dist. 39) Del. Shane Robinson (Dist. 39)
learn more about evaluations of and support for teachers and principals in the county’s professional growth system. The system is important for the candidates to understand, Prouty said, because it has been an “ongoing discussion” the union has had with legislators and state education officials. Prouty said one thing the union hopes the incumbents highlight in their campaigns is the county’s need for more school construction money from the state. lpowers@gazette.net