Long Odds Not Stopping Challenger

Candidate Still Positive, Despite Less Funds, Name Recognition

A Ron Paul supporter and Charles County school board member might not be considered a serious challenge to the U.S. House majority leader, but Collins A. Bailey doesn't see himself at a disadvantage.

Sure, Democratic incumbent Steny H. Hoyer has raised $3.4 million to Bailey's $18,000 for the campaign in Maryland's 5th Congressional District, which includes all of Charles, Calvert and St. Mary's counties and parts of Anne Arundel and Prince George's. And no, Bailey acknowledges, he doesn't have anywhere near the name recognition Hoyer, 69, has built during his 27 years in Congress. But as far as the Republican challenger is concerned, that's a good thing.

"If I had tons of money from PACs too, that would blur the contrast between myself and the incumbent," said Bailey, 54, referring to the $2.3 million Hoyer raised from political action committees. At a time when earmarks and bailouts have prompted 75 percent of Americans to say they are dissatisfied with Congress, Bailey frequently challenges voters, "If you're happy with Washington, vote for the other guy."

But to assume the majority leader would bear the brunt of voters' anger toward Congress in the Nov. 4 election would be to underestimate Hoyer's popularity in the district that has elected him 12 times, always by at least 14 percentage points. Although his responsibilities increased dramatically when he was elected majority leader in 2006, he remains a fixture at fundraisers, ribbon-cuttings and holiday dinners in the district.

"I'm very proud that I've stayed very active locally and had success in terms of our military facilities at [Patuxent] River, Indian Head and St. Inigoes," he said, referring to the Navy and Coast Guard campuses that employ thousands of Southern Maryland residents.

Hoyer said he plans to continue working on economic issues in the 5th District and nationwide as majority leader for the foreseeable future. As the first Marylander ever to hold the House's second-highest position, he said he is well-positioned to represent Maryland's interests in Congress. And if Sen. Barack Obama is elected president, as Hoyer expects, he probably will be surrounded by prominent Democrats who share his goals.

"I can work with Obama, [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid on all of the important issues we face," Hoyer said. "The next Congress will be exceedingly challenging, but the Democratic leadership will enhance the ability to get things done."

Bailey, who owns a lumber company, said Hoyer has presided over a massive increase in government spending that puts national security at risk by weakening the country's economic position. As a member of Congress, he said, he would push to eliminate entire departments of the federal government, including the Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service. The $700 billion federal bailout was "throwing money at a problem" rather than addressing its sources, he said.

"We have a budget deficit, a trade deficit, a moral deficit and a leadership deficit," Bailey said. "Any one of those could bring down an entire country, and we have all four."

A devout Christian, Bailey said he takes cues from religion on most social issues, creating strong stances against abortion and stem-cell research and in favor of abstinence-only sex education. As a member of the Charles County Board of Education, he was part of a controversial majority that created a list of ideas including teaching "abstinence-only and a pro-life approach" in health class, distributing Bibles to students and eliminating textbooks that are "biased toward evolution." None was implemented.

Bailey frequently tells voters that he cannot be pigeonholed as a traditional Republican, and several elements of his platform, including his environmental advocacy and opposition to the No Child Left Behind education reforms, are in disagreement with the positions of President Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Some elements of his campaign Web site are taken verbatim from the site of Paul, the Republican representative from Texas with a Libertarian streak who ran for the Republican presidential nomination. Bailey would have been a Paul delegate to the GOP convention, had Paul earned delegates in Maryland.

Bailey did not directly answer repeated questions about whether he now supports McCain.