With a rousing endorsement from Gov. Martin O?Malley to kick off the campaign, Democratic Queen Anne?s State?s Attorney Frank Kratovil Jr. officially announced he was running for Congress to unseat nine-term Republican Wayne Gilchrest.
“We need aggressive, effective and unwavering leadership,” Kratovil, 39, said with the Chesapeake Bay as a backdrop. “The issue isn?t party. The issue is effectiveness.” He said that in talking to his Eastern Shore neighbors, regardless of party, he found “on the vast majority of issues we agree.”
People say Gilchrest is “such a nice guy,” Kratovil said. “Well, I think I?m a nice guy too, but leadership is about results.”
O?Malley called Kratovil one of the “rising stars” and said, “We need more leaders who are pragmatic problem solvers. The first district is ready for a new congressman.”
The district includes all of the Eastern Shore and parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Harford counties.
Kratovil was 35-years-old when he was elected top prosecutor in Queen Anne?s County, defeating a four-term incumbent. Kratovil emphasized his opposition to illegal immigration and criticized Gilchrest?s initial vote to support the Iraq war, but he said he opposed attempts to create a timetable for pullout of troops. He also emphasized the need to improve the Bay and tackle the problem of global warming.
On immigration and the environment, Kratovil staked out positions similar to Gilchrest but said, “I think I can do a better job as a congressman.”
He also chided Gilchrest for his initial support for term limits and said, “New blood is good for democracy.”
“It?s time for a change,” said Anne Arundel County Councilman Jamie Benoit, D. “Now that [Gilchrest] is in the minority” in the House, “he?s a nonexistent congressman.”
Richard Norling, a Harford County environmentalist, said Gilchrest “keeps getting the endorsement from the national groups” because “he?s one of the better Republicans” on environmental issues.
“But still he only votes right on the environment about half the time,” Norling said.
Democrat Christopher Robinson, a Cambridge lawyer, also is running for Gilchrest?s seat. He lost the 2006 primary.
