2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland explained

Election Name:	2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland
Country:	Maryland
Type:	legislative
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland
Previous Year:	2010
Next Election:	2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland
Next Year:	2014
Seats For Election:	All 8 Maryland seats to the United States House of Representatives
Party1:	Democratic Party (United States)
Last Election1:	6
Seats1:	7
Seat Change1:	1
Popular Vote1:	1,626,872
Percentage1:	62.92%
Swing1:	2.44%
Party2:	Republican Party (United States)
Last Election2:	2
Seats2:	1
Seat Change2:	1
Popular Vote2:	858,406
Percentage2:	33.20%
Swing2:	3.74%

The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the eight U.S. representatives from the state of Maryland, one from each of the state's eight congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including the quadrennial presidential election and an election to the U.S. Senate.

The new congressional map, drawn and passed by the Democratic-controlled Maryland General Assembly, was signed into law by Governor Martin O'Malley on October 20, 2011. The map made the 6th district, at that time represented by Republican Roscoe Bartlett, much more favorable to Democrats.^[1]

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland, 2012
Party	Votes	Percentage	+/–	Seats	+/–
	Democratic	1,626,872	62.92%	+2.44%	7	+1
	Republican	858,406	33.20%	-3.74%	1	-1
	Libertarian	69,298	2.68%	+0.65%		-
	Green	10,104	0.39%	+0.39%		-
	Others	20,834	0.81%	+0.73%		-
Totals		2,585,514	100.00%	-	8	-

District 1

The redrawn 1st district includes Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester counties, as well as parts of Baltimore, Carroll, and Harford counties.^[2] Republican incumbent Andy Harris, who had been first elected in 2010, ran for re-election.^[3]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Andy Harris, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Wendy Rosen, businesswoman^[4]

Eliminated in primary

• John LaFerla, OB/GYN physician and former president of the Kent County Democratic Central Committee
• Kimberley Letke, businesswoman^{[5] [6]}

Declined

• Frank Kratovil, former U.S. Representative^[7]

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Nominee

• Muir Boda, asset protection manager^[8]

General election

Campaign

After Rosen won the primary, she was forced to withdraw from the race on September 10, 2012, after evidence surfaced that she had voted in both Maryland and Florida in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Rosen had property in Florida, and Maryland law allowed property owners to vote in local elections even if they live elsewhere. However, her Florida voting registration reportedly also gave her access to state and federal elections there, something which was not allowed by Maryland law.^{[9] [10]} As the deadline for replacing a candidate on the general election ballot was August 28, members of the Democratic Central Committees of each county in the district had to choose a write-in candidate to run in November. Two potential candidates who indicated an interest were former U.S. Representative Wayne Gilchrest, who represented the 1st district as a Republican from 1991 to 2009, and LaFerla, who finished a close second in the primary.^{[11] [12]} LaFerla was then endorsed as the Democratic write-in candidate.

Results

District 2

The redrawn 2nd district includes parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, and Howard counties, and parts of the city of Baltimore.^[2] Democrat Dutch Ruppersberger, who had represented the 2nd district since 2003, ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Dutch Ruppersberger, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Nancy Jacobs, State Senator^[13]

Eliminated in primary

• Ray Bly, veteran^[14]
• Vladmir Degen^[15]
• Richard Impallaria, state delegate^[15]
• Howard Orton^[15]
• Larry Smith, former aide to U.S. Representative Andy Harris^[16]

Declined

• Pat McDonough, state delegate^{[17] [18]}

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Nominee

• Leo Dymowski, Army veteran and attorney^{[3] [19]}

General election

Results

District 3

The redrawn 3rd district includes parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, and Montgomery counties, and parts of the city of Baltimore.^[2] Democrat John Sarbanes, who had represented the 3rd district since 2007, ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• John Sarbanes, incumbent U.S. Representative^[3]

Eliminated in primary

• Dave Lockwood, management consultant^[20]

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Eric Delano Knowles, bartender and Constitution Party nominee for governor for 2010

Eliminated in primary

• Armand Girard, retired teacher
• Thomas E. "Pinkston" Harris, nominee for this seat in 2008 and candidate for in 2010
• Draper Phelps^[20]

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Paul Drgos Jr, computer programmer^{[3] [21]}

General election

Results

District 4

The redrawn 4th district includes parts of Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties.^[2] Democrat Donna Edwards, who had represented the 4th district since 2008, ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Donna Edwards, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Ian Garner, U.S. Navy veteran^[22]
• George McDermott, entrepreneur

Withdrawn

• Glenn Ivey, former Prince George's County State's Attorney^{[23] [24]}

Declined

• Jaime Benoit, Anne Arundel County councilman^[25]

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Faith Loudon

Eliminated in primary

• Randy Gearhart
• Greg Holmes
• Charles Shepherd

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Scott Soffen^[3]

General election

Results

District 5

The redrawn 5th district includes Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's counties, as well as parts of Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties.^[2] Democrat Steny Hoyer, who had represented the 5th district since 1981, ran from re-election^{[3] [26] [27]}

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Steny Hoyer, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Cathy Johnson Pendleton, publishing company founder^[28]

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Tony O'Donnell, Minority Leader of the Maryland House of Delegates^[29]

Eliminated in primary

• David Hill, motorcycle technician^[28]
• Glenn Troy Morton, author^[28]

Declined

• Charles Lollar, nominee for this seat in 2010^[30]

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Arvin Vohra, aeducator and entrepreneur^[26]

Green primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Bob Auerbach

General election

Jeremy Stinson, an unaffiliated candidate, did not secure a ballot nomination and ran as a write-in candidate.

Results

District 6

The redrawn 6th district includes Allegany, Garrett, and Washington counties, as well as parts of Frederick and Montgomery counties.^[2] Republican Roscoe Bartlett, who had represented the 6th district since 1993, ran for re-election.^[31]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Roscoe Bartlett, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Kathy Afzali, state delegate^[32]
• David R. Brinkley, state senator^[33]
• Robert Coblentz, systems analyst for the American Public University System and vice president of the Washington County Republican Club^[34]
• Robin Ficker, former state delegate and perennial candidate^[35]
• Peter James, farmer and nominee for the 4th district in 2008^[36]
• Joseph Krysztoforski, retired entrepreneur^{[34] [36]}
• Brandon Rippeon, businessman^{[34] [37]}

Declined

• Alex X. Mooney, chairman of the Maryland Republican Party and former state senator^[37]
• Bud Otis, Rep. Bartlett's former chief of staff^[3]
• Christopher B. Shank, state senator^[38]

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• John Delaney, commercial banker^[39]

Eliminated in primary

• Charles Bailey^[36]
• Robert J. Garagiola, state senator^{[35] [40]}
• Ron Little, member of the Montgomery County Board of Social Services^[36]
• Milad Pooran, doctor and Air Force veteran^[41]

Withdrawn

• Duchy Trachtenberg, former member of the Montgomery County Council^{[31] [39]}

Declined

• Doug Duncan, former Montgomery County Executive^[42]
• Mark Shriver, state delegate^[31]

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Nickolaus Mueller^[43]

General election

Campaign

Facing a district that had been significantly redrawn to favor the Democrats (going from a seat that McCain carried with 57%, Obama would have carried the redrawn seat with 56%), the Bartlett campaign faced further difficultlies when the Federal Elections Commission fined Bartlett $5,000 for repeatedly failing to submit accurate campaign finance disclosure reports.^[44]

When Todd Akin made his controversial comments about female biology, Bartlett immediately repudiated them, adding, "There is no room in politics for these types of statements... As a human physiologist I know there is no scientific backing to Todd's claims."^[45] He reiterated that his view on abortion exceptions has been "the same for twenty years. I'm pro-life, with exceptions for the life of the mother, rape and incest... I'm so avidly pro-life I'm against corporal punishment."

However, it was later revealed that in 2001 Bartlett had supported a constitutional amendment which did not include the rape and incest exceptions.^{[46] [47]}

Debates

• Complete video of debate, October 17, 2012

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Roscoe Bartlett (R)	John Delaney (D)	Nickolaus Mueller (L)	Undecided
Baltimore Sun/OpinionWorks^[48]	October 20–25, 2012	610	± 4.0%	41%	align=center	42%	—	16%
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research (D-Delaney)^[49]	July 23–25, 2012	400	± 4.9%	42%	align=center	44%	6%	8%
Garin-Hart-Yang (D-Delaney)^[50]	April 9–11, 2012	402	± 5.0%	39%	align=center	48%	—	13%

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
align=left	The Cook Political Report^[51]		November 5, 2012
align=left	Rothenberg^[52]		November 2, 2012
align=left	Roll Call^[53]		November 4, 2012
align=left	Sabato's Crystal Ball^[54]		November 5, 2012
align=left	NY Times^[55]		November 4, 2012
RCP^[56]		November 4, 2012
align=left	The Hill^[57]		November 4, 2012

Results

District 7

The redrawn 7th district includes parts of Baltimore and Howard counties, and parts of the city of Baltimore.^[2] Democrat Elijah Cummings, who had represented the 7th district since 1996, ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Elijah Cummings, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Ty Busch
• Charles Smith

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Frank Mirabile

Eliminated in primary

• Justin Kinsey

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Ronald Owens-Bey^{[3] [43]}

General election

Results

District 8

The redrawn 8th district will include parts of Carroll, Frederick, and Montgomery counties.^[2] Democrat Chris Van Hollen, who had represented the 8th district since 2003, ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Chris Van Hollen, incumbent

Eliminated in primary

• George English, retired economist^[36]

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Kenneth Timmerman, author and reporter

Eliminated in primary

• Gus Alzona, accountant
• Shelly Skolnick, attorney
• Dave Wallace, businessman

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Mark Grannis, attorney

Green primary

Candidates

Nominee

• George Gluck, computer consultant^{[36] [58]}

General election

Results

External links

• Maryland State Board of Elections
• United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland, 2012 at Ballotpedia
• Maryland U.S. House at OurCampaigns.com
• Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in Maryland at OpenSecrets
• Outside spending at the Sunlight Foundation

Notes and References

1. Web site: O'Malley signs congressional map into law. October 20, 2011. October 26, 2011. The Baltimore Sun. Annie. Linskey. John. Fritze.
2. Web site: Maryland 2011 Congressional Districts. October 20, 2011. January 12, 2012. Maryland Department of Planning. https://web.archive.org/web/20120119084701/http://www.mdp.state.md.us/PDF/Redistricting/2010maps/Cong/Statewide.pdf. January 19, 2012. dead.
3. News: On Md. ballot, Bartlett faces tough race, Edwards escapes challenge from Ivey. January 11, 2012. January 12, 2012. The Washington Post. Ben. Pershing.
4. Web site: Baltimore County businesswoman enters 1st Congressional District race. November 28, 2011. December 2, 2011. The Maryland Gazette. Sarah. Breitenbach. https://web.archive.org/web/20141017123606/http://www.gazette.net/article/20111128/NEWS/711289981/1034/baltimore-county-businesswoman-enters-1st-congressional-district-race%26template%3Dgazette. October 17, 2014. dead. mdy-all.
5. Web site: Challengers to face off before taking on Harris. December 8, 2011. December 14, 2011. The Salisbury Daily Times. Jennifer. Shutt.
6. Web site: Harford's Impallaria, Jacobs butt heads for GOP Congress nod. January 12, 2012. January 13, 2012. The Baltimore Sun. Bryna. Zumer.
7. Web site: Kratovil not running for former congressional seat. November 11, 2011. November 12, 2011. The Maryland Gazette. Sarah. Breitenbach. https://web.archive.org/web/20150122091258/http://www.gazette.net/article/20111111/NEWS/711119554/1034/kratovil-not-running-for-former-congressional-seat%26template%3Dgazette. January 22, 2015. dead. mdy-all.
8. Web site: Boda4Congress/. 2012-07-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20120719041649/http://boda4congress.net/about/. 2012-07-19. dead.
9. Web site: Democrat withdraws from 1st District congressional race after allegations she voted in two states. September 14, 2012. September 15, 2012. The Baltimore Sun. Matthew Hay. Brown. September 15, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120915040515/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-wendy-rosen-withdraws-20120910,0,3764352.story. dead.
10. Web site: The lesson of Wendy Rosen. September 11, 2012. September 15, 2012. The Baltimore Sun.
11. Web site: With Rosen out, LaFerla says he would challenge Andy Harris in 1st District. September 11, 2012. September 15, 2012. The Baltimore Sun. Matthew Hay. Brown.
12. Web site: MD POLITICS: Gilchrest might seek old seat. September 13, 2012. September 15, 2012. The Salisbury Daily Times. Jennifer. Shutt.
13. Web site: State Sen. Nancy Jacobs To Run For Congress. January 3, 2012. January 3, 2012. My Fox DC. Brian. Witte.
14. Web site: Ray Bly - Ballotpedia. December 11, 2019.
15. Web site: Delegate Impallaria Running For Congress. January 12, 2012. January 12, 2012. WBAL-TV.
16. Web site: Former GOP Hill staffer to run in 2nd District. October 27, 2011. October 29, 2011. The Baltimore Sun. John. Fritze.
17. Web site: McDonough Rallies Supporters Against In-State Tuition for Illegal Immigrants. May 27, 2011. June 4, 2011. Essex - Middle River Patch. Ron. Snyder.
18. News: Del. McDonough mulls race against Cardin or Ruppersberger. July 28, 2011. July 29, 2011. The Washington Post. Ben. Pershing.
19. Web site: LeoForCongress. 2012-07-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20121016064347/http://www.leoforcongress.com/bio.html. 2012-10-16. dead.
20. Web site: Sarbanes collects $1 million for re-election campaign. February 14, 2012. February 20, 2012. Capital News Service (Maryland). Baltimore Messenger. Rob. Bock.
21. Web site: PaulD2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120711165129/http://pauld2012.com/index.html . July 11, 2012 .
22. Web site: Ian Garner - Ballotpedia.
23. Web site: Ivey to challenge Edwards for House seat. November 3, 2011. November 12, 2011. The Baltimore Sun. John. Fritze.
24. Web site: Ivey withdraws from 4th Congressional District primary race. January 11, 2012. January 13, 2012. The Baltimore Sun. Sarah. Hogue.
25. Web site: Jamie Benoit Drops Run Against Donna Edwards in Maryland. December 5, 2011. December 10, 2011. Roll Call. Abby. Livingston.
26. Web site: VoteVohra. 2012-07-28. 2016-10-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20161029052748/http://www.votevohra.com/. dead.
27. Web site: 2012 Presidential General Election State Candidates List . Congressional District 05 (section) . Maryland State Board of Elections . 2012 . August 15, 2012 .
28. Web site: Hoyer, O'Donnell top fundraisers in 5th District. February 15, 2012. February 20, 2012. Capital News Service (Maryland). Southern Maryland Newspapers Online. Mark. Miller.
29. News: O'Donnell launches bid to unseat Hoyer. December 14, 2011. December 15, 2011. The Washington Post. John. Wagner. Aaron C.. Davis.
30. Web site: O'Donnell eyeing a run for the 5th CD. November 12, 2011. November 18, 2011. The Baltimore Sun. Annie. Linskey.
31. Web site: Duncan, Shriver Among Names Floated in Maryland. October 20, 2011. October 22, 2011. Roll Call. Abby. Livingston.
32. Web site: Mooney out, Afzali in District 6 Congressional race. January 10, 2012. January 10, 2012. The Gazette. Katherine. Heerbrandt.
33. Web site: Roscoe Bartlett's Chief of Staff Resigns After Reports of Run. December 1, 2011. December 2, 2011. Roll Call. Abby. Livingston.
34. Web site: Vice president of Republican Club enters 6th Congressional District Race. October 20, 2011. October 22, 2011. The Herald-Mail. Andrew. Schotz.
35. Web site: 6th District candidates spar over jobs. November 1, 2011. November 2, 2011. The Baltimore Sun. John. Fritze.
36. Web site: 6th District field most crowded race in state. January 12, 2012. January 12, 2012. Frederick News-Post. Pete. McCarthy.
37. Web site: Alex Mooney Skips Maryland Race, Signals Roscoe Bartlett Definitely Running. January 10, 2012. January 10, 2012. Roll Call. Abby. Livingston.
38. Web site: Brinkley Enters Congressional Race. January 4, 2012. January 12, 2012. Rockville Patch. Tiffany. Arnold. https://web.archive.org/web/20120116013451/http://rockville.patch.com/articles/brinkley-enters-congressional-race. January 16, 2012. dead. mdy-all.
39. News: John Delaney, David Brinkley join field gunning for Bartlett's congressional seat. January 4, 2012. January 5, 2012. The Washington Post. Ben. Pershing.
40. Web site: Garagiola set to officially kick off campaign. October 27, 2011. October 29, 2011. The Baltimore Sun. John. Fritze.
41. Web site: Some Democrats concerned that congressional pick is a done deal. November 16, 2011. November 16, 2011. Gazette.Net. Katherine. Heerbrandt. https://web.archive.org/web/20141017123748/http://www.gazette.net/article/20111102/NEWS/711029296/1016/some-democrats-concerned-that-congressional-pick-is-a-done-deal%26template%3Dgazette. October 17, 2014. dead. mdy-all.
42. News: Doug Duncan won't run for Congress, may back Delaney instead. November 15, 2011. November 16, 2011. The Washington Post. Ben. Pershing.
43. Web site: MDLP-Candidates.
44. News: Fritze. John. Bartlett struggles with campaign disclosure. The Baltimore Sun. June 24, 2012. November 20, 2012. August 18, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130818131901/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-bartlett-fec-20120624,0,1147556.story. dead.
45. News: Brown. Matthew Hay. Akin rape comments 'offensive and wrong,' Bartlett says. The Baltimore Sun. August 21, 2012. March 15, 2023. January 12, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140112211604/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-08-21/news/bal-todd-akin-roscoe-bartlett-20120821_1_bartlett-campaign-congressman-bartlett-western-maryland-republican. dead.
46. Web site: Kaczynski. Andrew. Republican Congressman: There Are Very Few Pregnancies From Rape, It Is A Tiny Percentage. BuzzFeed. 31 August 2012 . 18 November 2012.
47. News: Rape, abortion debate fuels 6th District race. The Gazette. November 19, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130729181134/http://www.gazette.net/article/20120830/NEWS/708309859/1122/Rape-abortion-debate-fuels-6th-District-race%26template%3Dgazette. July 29, 2013.
48. https://web.archive.org/web/20130115205114/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-10-29/news/bs-md-sixth-poll-20121028_1_democrat-john-delaney-first-independent-poll-district-voters Baltimore Sun/OpinionWorks
49. https://web.archive.org/web/20160204102827/http://files.hmp.gethifi.com/news/press-releases/democrat-john-delaney-ahead-of-republican-roscoe-bartlett-in-md-06-house-majority-pacseiu-poll/MD-6-Poll-Results-Release-Memo.pdf Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research (D-Delaney)
50. https://web.archive.org/web/20120526123325/http://www.delaney2012.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/GHY-MD-6-Polling-Memo-4.16.pdf Garin-Hart-Yang (D-Delaney)
51. Web site: The Cook Political Report — Charts – 2012 House Competitive Races . Cookpolitical.com . November 5, 2012 . November 6, 2012.
52. Web site: House Ratings . Rothenbergpoliticalreport.com . November 2, 2012 . November 4, 2012.
53. http://www.rollcall.com/politics/race-ratings-chart-2012-house-elections.html
54. http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/category/2012-house/ Crystal Ball
55. http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/ratings/house House Race Ratings
56. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/house/2012_elections_house_map.html
57. Web site: House Ratings . The Hill . November 4, 2012. November 3, 2012 .
58. Web site: GrannisforCongress. 2012-07-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20120706100430/http://www.grannisforcongress.org/node/2. 2012-07-06. dead.