Now this is something. Lynn Caligiuri, who served as GOP Rep. Wayne Gilchrest’s campaign and finance director since 1999, has joined the campaign of Democrat and state’s attorney Frank Kratovil a few months after the moderate Gilchrest was defeated in a primary by the Club For Growth-backed nutcase Andy Harris. From the Politico:
Lynn Caligiuri, who worked on all of Gilchrest’s reelection campaigns, called Kratovil’s campaign “the best opportunity to continue the thoughtful, moderate approach that Gilchrest has brought to the district for nearly two decades” and endorsed the Democrat. […]
“Obviously many of us were disappointed in the Republican primary results, but we now have an opportunity to send someone to Washington to continue to represent our values and end the partisan attacks and divisiveness that has rendered Congress ineffective and unresponsive,” said Caligiuri. “Frank Kratovil is the right choice.”
Could this be a harbinger of a Gilchrest endorsement for Kratovil?
That would be hilarious if Kratovil won. And with a Gilchrest endorsement and some DCCC money it could happen.
BarbinMD lives in that district, and told me before that she likes Gilchrest. For her to say that about any Republican speaks volumes as to how decent a man Gilchrest is. He’s the kind of Republican who should be in control of the party, instead of the neocons and theocons running the show.
Before the primary, I had been suggesting that Van Hollen ask Gilchrest to switch parties. He’d have fit nicely as an anti-war Blue Dog Democrat.
is if Eastern Shore voters decide they’d rather have one of them in Congress, as opposed to Harris, who lives on the Baltimore side. I’m not sure if that can overcome the extremely socially conservative mindset many Eastern Shore voters have, though.
i remember the thread when gilchrist lost, everyone bemoaned that now we’d have a right wing nut job, and i said come on, if we have a good candidate and a divided GOP, we should at least have a chance. and it appears that we just might:)
going to work on the other party candidate’s campaign after your candidate loses is a very hard thing to do and i think speaks not only to the bitterness that still resides after the primary, but to the quality of Kratovil.