According to this news story, Wendy Rosen, the Democratic nominee for U.S. House, Maryland First District, is withdrawing from the race. However, the deadline has passed for her to remove her name from the November ballot. The First District is a swing district. The district elected a Democrat in 2008 but a Republican in 2010. The boundaries of the district are somewhat different this year than they were in 2012. Thanks to Thomas Jones for the link.
UPDATE for September 11: the Democratic Party will choose a write-in candidate, because the party feels it can’t ask voters in the district to vote for Rosen. The last time a major party got behind a write-in candidate for U.S. House was in Texas in 2006, in the 22nd district. Shelley Sekula Gibbs was the endorsed Republican choice. She polled 61,938 write-ins, a very good total for a write-in candidate, but she lost to the Democrat, Nick Lampson, who received 76,775 votes. Tom Delay had been permitted to withdraw so there was no Republican candidate listed on the ballot. In the current Maryland race, Wendy Rosen remains on the ballot, so the Democratic vote will be split.
They lean republican now
Tanks for sharing this important news.
It’s not a swing district actually, despite that history. It rates as a 64% Republican district, and was one that our Monopoly Politics 2012 report had as a safe election for Harris. I would be stunned if anyone we have categorized as “safe” loses this November.
You can see that analysis for Maryland here:
http://www.fairvote.org/assets/2012-Redistricting/MDRedistrictingAnalysis.pdf
And a better way here involving a fair voting plan:
http://www.fairvote.org/assets/2012-Redistricting/MDFairVotingPlan.pdf
Any third party or independents running in this race? Be a good chance to land a large percent.
Attention # 2 especially
1/2 votes x 1/2 gerrymander districts = 1/4 CONTROL — since the 1964 SCOTUS gerrymander cases.
P.R. and nonpartisan App.V. NOW — before it is too late and the EVIL mouths of Obama/Romney cause Civil WAR II to happen.
#3, the Libertarian Party has a candidate in the race. He is the only ballot-listed candidate in that race who lives in the eastern shore, which comprises most of the district. The Democrat and Republican both live in Baltimore County, which is partly in the district, but the great bulk of the voters in that district are eastern shore residents and might be inclined to vote for a fellow resident of the eastern shore.
The MD LP does indeed have a candidate in this race, and that would be Muir Boda. And needless to say, we do hope to be able to take advantage of this train-wreck situation, if at all possible.
— Doug McNeil