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This year, for the first time in decades, Maryland is left with only a single Republican congressman in Washington. And with a national debate stirring about how to reinvigorate the party, there are few signs that Republicans in the state have developed a plan for turning things around. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the top elected Republican in the country, said earlier this year that his party "seems to be slipping into a position of being more of a regional party than a national one." Specter's switch and the recent failure to pick up a historically Republican House...

Wayne Gilchrest, the nine-term Republican congressman who represents Maryland's Eastern Shore and parts of Anne Arundel County, has had it, and he's ready to talk. He's had it with his own party, which he says "has become more narrow, more self-serving, more centered around 'I want, I want, I want.' " He's finished with his party's presidential candidate, John McCain, who Gilchrest says "recites memorized pieces of information in a narrow way, whereas Barack Obama is constantly evaluating information, using his judgment. One guy just recites what's in front of him, and the other has initiative and reason and prudence...

CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS Sept. 23, 2008 – 8:35 p.m. Republican Gilchrest Makes It Official: ‘I’m Voting For Obama’ By Jonathan Allen, CQ Staff Barack Obama has officially picked up the support of a Republican congressman who had backtracked after appearing to endorse the Democratic presidential nominee in a radio interview last week. “I’m voting for Obama,” Maryland Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest told Congressional Quarterly Tuesday night. Gilchrest, who lost a tough Republican primary in February, also has endorsed the Democratic candidate vying to succeed him next year.

The Democrat running for Congress in Maryland's First District will receive the endorsement of the Republican incumbent he is hoping to replace. more at link

CENTREVILLE, Md. (AP) — Even as Maryland primary voters cited "moderation" in their picks for president, two congressional districts turned out incumbents for the first time in more than 30 years, one Democrat and one Republican, both accused of being too moderate. The losses Tuesday of Republican Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest, an antiwar critic of President Bush, and Democratic Rep. Albert R. Wynn, whose 2003 vote authorizing the war chafed loyalists in his party, signaled anti-incumbent sentiment that surprised many state politicians. But maybe not voters. "Psychologically, people want to see change," said John Davis, 45, a Republican from Chestertown,...

Late Update: With 51% reporting, the Associated Press has projected Donna Edwards the winner over Al Wynn — and apparently by a landslide. In Gilchrest's district, Harris leads 41%-35% with 74% of precincts in. No projection has yet been made, but it's not looking good for the incumbent here. Late Late Update: Harris has been projected the winner over Gilchrest.

(With all the upheaval around here lately- I put this in breaking to give everyone a shot of good news...and it is breaking btw) CHESTERTOWN, Md. (AP) - A nine-term Republican congressman critical of the Iraq war has been defeated by a well-funded state senator in Maryland's primary. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest was narrowly defeated Tuesday by state Sen. Andy Harris. Gilchrest voted to go to war in Iraq but later said he regretted the decision. A year ago, he was one of two Republicans in Congress to vote for a withdrawal timeline.

A nine-term Republican congressman critical of the Iraq war has been defeated by a well-funded state senator in Maryland's primary. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest was narrowly defeated Tuesday by state Sen. Andy Harris. Gilchrest voted to go to war in Iraq but later said he regretted the decision. A year ago, he was one of two Republicans in Congress to vote for a withdrawal timeline. Gilchrest called the campaign the most intense of his political career. Harris depicted Gilchrest as too moderate for Maryland's 1st congressional district, which includes the state's Eastern Shore and parts of the Baltimore suburbs.

State Senator Considering Challenge To Gilchrest Tuesday, May 15, 2007 - WBAL Radio's Robert Lang One of the two Republicans in Maryland's congressional delegation could face a challenge in next year's primary election. State Senator Andrew Harris told WBAL News that he's going to use this weekend's spring Maryland State Republican Convention in Annapolis, to gauge support for a run against incumbent Congressman Wayne Gilchrest. Harris says he will make a final decision on whether to run for Congress next week.

In case you haven't heard, the Marriage amendment got shot down in the house: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,134134,00.htmlHere's the Republicans voting Nay: Bass Biggert Bono Castle Cox Dreier Foley Frelinghuysen Gerlach Gibbons Gilchrest Greenwood Hobson Hostettler Houghton Johnson (CT) Kirk Knollenberg Kolbe Leach McInnis Ose Paul Pryce (OH) Sanders Shays Simmons Here's the republicans not voting: Boehlert Cannon Diaz-Balart, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Dunn Hunter Nethercutt Ros-Lehtinen Tauzin Be sure to contact these people & show your appreciation. Here's the list of Dems voting FOR: Berry Bishop (GA) Boucher Boyd Carson (OK) Chandler Cooper Costello Cramer Davis (AL) Davis (TN) Edwards Etheridge Ford Gordon...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- The water cooler conversation on Capitol Hill next week will likely center on how much money congressional lawmakers up for re-election have been able to pull in during their summer recess. Republican moderates facing tough re-election races in 2004 will be kicking their campaigns into high gear and seeking help from including President George W. Bush and heavy political hitters such as senior presidential adviser Karl Rove. While Democrats have publicly displayed their party infighting, Republicans, too, have had to battle an ideological split that some insiders fear could send some middle-of-the-road GOP voters across...

WASHINGTON — As a contentious primary between a moderate incumbent and a conservative unknown neared its end Tuesday, one camp accused the other of sponsoring a series of "dirty" and "disgusting" phone calls to voters in the waning days of the campaign. David Fischer, a Republican attorney who has launched a formidable campaign against moderate Republican Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, said he has received 200 to 300 complaints from voters in Maryland's 1st District who say they have received phone calls in the last few days accusing Fischer of defending child pornographers and molesters in his law practice. "It is the...

http://www.fischerforcongress.com

August 19, 2002 Wayne's World War on the Eastern Shore? Conservative Groups Target Moderate Gilchrest By Chris Cillizza Vacationland has suddenly turned into a political battleground. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest will face hard-charging attorney David Fischer in the Sept. 10 GOP primary in Maryland's 1st district, a seat made up almost entirely of the state's portion of the Eastern Shore, a rural area that is also a prime getaway spot for many in the mid-Atlantic region. Fischer's candidacy has gained significant national support over the past several weeks, as he has secured the backing of the National Rifle Association and Club...

National Media Spotlight on MD District 1 Timonium – Major national news outlets like The National Journal, Congress Daily, Hotline, United Press International, Roll Call, Washington Times, and CNN are deluging the Fischer campaign headquarters with calls in hope of covering what looks likely to become the political upset story of this election cycle. As United Press International reported on Monday, “Gilchrest may be in for the political fight of his life. A member of Congress since 1990, Gilchrest is one of the more reliably liberal members of the House Republican Conference.” Fischer was also mentioned on CNN’s Inside Politics...

Hardball -- GOP U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, R-Md., may be in for the political fight of his life. A member of Congress since 1990, Gilchrest is one of the more reliably liberal members of the House Republican Conference. Dave Fischer, a lawyer from Timonium, Md., who has committed to at least $200,000 of his own money, is challenging him in the September GOP primary. Early indications are that this race will not be known for its kind and gentle demeanor. One early Fischer mailing has a picture of former President Bill Clinton and the number 64 percent on the front....