Duck to run against Bartlett again

Duck’s announcement comes just days before the Western Maryland Democratic Summit, designed to strategize on ways to build the party in the 6th District, and win in 2008.

‘‘Over the past several months, I have been asked by hundreds of people to run again to represent Maryland’s 6th District in Congress,” Duck said in a press release. ‘‘After discussing the options with my wife and family, we have decided that I will run again in 2008...”

The summit is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, at Rocky Gap State Park in Cumberland. More than 200 Democrats from Western Maryland’s 6th Congressional District are expected to attend.

The 6th District includes all of Frederick, Allegany, Carroll, Garrett and Washington counties, and parts of Harford, Montgomery and Baltimore counties.

‘‘...The Western Maryland Democratic Caucus is looking to find ways to build the Democratic Party in all areas of Western Maryland,” said Tom Slater, caucus chairman and former chairman of the Frederick County Democratic Central Committee, in an e-mail. ‘‘We have new and enthusiastic central committees in all of the five counties that are a part of the caucus...”

In December, just one month after winning his eighth term in Congress, Bartlett of Buckeystown announced that he would also run again in 2008.

Building the party in Western Maryland is a priority regardless of Bartlett’s decision to run, Slater said.

‘‘...Democrats want to be competitive whether he runs or not,” he said.

Bartlett has represented the 6th District in Congress since 1992. He has easily won re-election in each of the last 14 years in the conservative district. When many Republicans lost their seats in Congress last year, due mostly to voters’ frustration with the war in Iraq, Bartlett was apparently immune.

Ron Wolf, publicity chair for the Democratic caucus, has his own assessment of why Bartlett has been so successful at the polls.

‘‘Roscoe Bartlett has done a good job of keeping a low profile,” Wolf said. ‘‘He doesn’t make himself a target to shoot at.”

The summit will include a visit Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, who will deliver the keynote address. Del. Sue Hecht and Del. Galen Clagett, both of Frederick’s District 3A, will give an overview of this year’s Maryland General Assembly session.

For more details on the summit, contact Slater at 301-682-5801 or Bill DuVall at 301-268-4115.