Bartlett Sits Confidently Among Little-Known Foes

When Maryland lawmakers drew new congressional district boundaries in 2002, the changes strengthened the position of Democrats throughout the state, but the new lines also were a big boon to Republican Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett. His House district, Maryland's 6th, spans eight counties, most of them overwhelmingly Republican.

But this year, as Bartlett seeks his ninth term in the U.S. House, he faces only little-known GOP opponents in the Feb. 12 primary. Instead, the 81-year-old Bartlett, who has a doctorate in physiology, is likely to be confronted with a well-financed Democratic challenger in the November general election, when voters also will be drawn to the polls by the presidential contest.

If the past is a prologue, Bartlett can expect to face either Andrew Duck or Jennifer P. Dougherty, Democrats with substantial name recognition who are campaigning energetically for their party's nomination.

The district, whose median income at $51,000 is slightly higher than the national average, includes about 200,000 registered Republicans, 150,000 registered Democrats and 62,000 unaffiliated voters.

Duck, 46, is an Army veteran and defense consultant who ran a serious campaign against Bartlett two years ago but still lost by more than 40,000 votes. Dougherty, 47, a former Frederick mayor, is well-known as the proprietor of Jennifer's Restaurant, a Cheers-like eatery steps from Frederick's historic downtown. She lost a reelection bid for mayor two years ago.

Other Democrats running are Robin L. Diebert, 40, of Fairplay, a business systems analyst manager and former soldier who has urged that troops in Iraq be cut and is pushing for universal health insurance; Rick Lank, 55, vice president of an environmental consulting firm who is urging more attention to sustainable energy; and Larry John Smith, 42, an assistant principal at Hancock High School who says the federal government has abandoned the middle class by taxing it too severely and failing to provide needed health care.

Republicans running against Bartlett are Tom Croft, 59, a public school teacher who is pushing for federal funding for transit alternatives to highways; John B. Kimble, 48, who previously ran in the 4th District and says he wants to save the country "from the Latino invasion;" Joseph T. Krysztoforski, 54, a civic activist and retired banker who urges energy reform and an orderly pullout from Iraq; and Frank K. Nethken, 77, a former Cumberland mayor who says the United States needs leadership based on "Godly principles" and tougher defense.

Bartlett, who commutes to the U.S. Capitol from his dairy farm in Buckeystown, is not doing much campaigning before the primary but is prepared to fight to keep his seat, having stockpiled more than $200,000 in his campaign treasury. Two years ago, when Frederick prosecutor Scott Rolle was trying to oust Bartlett in the GOP primary by saying he wasn't doing enough to back the Bush administration, Vice President Cheney was enlisted to give Bartlett a boost, easily attracting 700 people to a fundraising breakfast.

Duck, who grew up in Middletown and lives in Brunswick, promotes himself as a voice of moderation whose says his 20 years of military experience and experience as a Korean linguist and intelligence officer give him credibility to argue that the United States should wind down its role in Iraq soon. He has been able to attract attention from organized labor, whose leadership has stepped into the primary to help him tap into AFL-CIO funding and expertise. The National Education Association, the largest teachers union, also is backing Duck.

Going door-to-door recently in Frederick, he often ended his pitch by saying, "Roscoe has to go." He does not mention Democratic opponents unless asked.

Dougherty, whose sense of urgency about local government ruffled many in Frederick during her one term as mayor, says her experience in local government is a critically needed skill in Washington. She pointed to the willingness of the Frederick city government to maintain health benefits for reservists.

She and Duck say the Republicans have dropped the ball on energy policy. Both also are critical of employers who hire illegal immigrants, a source of anxiety among some in the congressional district, which has many businesses tied to agriculture. Both favor making health insurance universally available. With such similar views, both point to their separate work experiences as a way for voters to differentiate between them.

Whoever wins the Democratic primary will need to raise substantial sums. Dougherty, whose local ties go back to her days as a student at Mount St. Mary's in Emmittsburg, raised about $15,000 in the last quarter of last year. Duck, who raised about $27,000 in the same period, estimates a victory in the general election could cost a Democratic challenger close to $1 million.

Bartlett says he is not worried about any of the Democrats, and he believes his positions reflect those of most of his district's voters. "It's about leadership," he said.

His voting record shows him to be the Maryland delegation's most conservative member, and he chastises fellow Republicans as big spenders, a stance that has occasionally put him in the awkward position of opposing local highway improvements for his district. As an advocate of energy conservation, he is critical of those with SUVs and pickups, although he acknowledges that that includes many of his constituents.

He sits on the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Science and Technology.

Bartlett favors constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage and flag burning, but he also has worried about the threat to civil liberties that he said was posed by the Patriot Act, the 2001 anti-terrorism law he voted for but then opposed in 2005.