A Poll Suggests Duncan Has Work to Do at Home

Besides the center, Jones said he plans to make an issue of Praisner's reputation for being an advocate for slower growth policies and her opposition to some highway projects.

"Looking at her record, she has consistently voted in large volume against other council members on major issues, but she has yet to give solutions," Jones said. "I call it 'hit and dodge.' She makes her statement against something and then she dodges the issue."

Preparing for Battle

Republican businessman Charles R. Floyd says there is a war happening on the United State's border with Mexico. And he plans to make that "war" a key theme in next year's elections.

Floyd, who unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Chris Van Hol len (D) in 2004, is gearing up to run for office again in 2006.

While Floyd is leaning toward challenging Van Hollen again, he's also considering running against lawyer Robin Ficker for the GOP nomination for county executive.

Either way, Floyd said illegal immigration will be his No. 1 issue.

If he runs for Congress, he plans to call for aggressive new federal laws and tactics to keep undocumented immigrants from crossing the border. If he runs for county executive, look for Floyd to criticize county officials' liberal views when it comes to providing services for residents who are not citizens.

And don't expect Floyd to temper his views with politically correct language. Instead, he plans to directly confront the notion that Montgomery County residents are generally more sympathetic to the plight of undocumented immigrants.

"I am not saying every illegal is a bad person, but I am saying they are coming in illegally, and you got persons like Doug Duncan helping them break the law," Floyd said, apparently referring to the Duncan administration's policy that non-citizens shouldn't be denied basic health and human services.

Floyd also said, "This is not only an illegal immigration issue, this is a criminal issue and a health issue. If you look at the amount of disease that comes across the border, it affects every aspect of our society."

To prepare for his campaign, Floyd says he's been spending a lot of time helping the Minutemen, a militia that patrols the border.

Last month, Floyd said he was in California when someone on the Mexican side of the border fired a shot at him -- a charge that could not be verified. He also speaks of nightly gun battles between border control agents and drug and immigrant smugglers.