Andrew Duck of Brunswick hopes that the third time is the charm, politically speaking.
The Democrat announced Monday that he will make a third attempt at unseating U.S. Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett (R-Dist. 6) of Buckeystown next year.
"I think every year we continue to make more progress, and we need to continue to drive on so that we make more progress," Duck said during his announcement below Carroll Creek's William O. Lee bridge in downtown Frederick. "Face it, it's a challenging district for Democrats to run. We continue to work on voter registration."
Standing before supporters, Duck, 46, promised that this time he will run a more "vigorous campaign."
District 6 includes all of Frederick, Allegany, Carroll, Garrett and Washington counties and parts of Harford, Montgomery and Baltimore counties. The makeup of the District 6 is heavily Republican, though it has slipped a few percentage points in the last four years.
In the 2006 election, District 6 had 402,644 registered voters, 36.3 percent (146,227) were Democrat, 48.4 percent (195,084) were Republican.
Two years later, District 6 had 443,515 registered voters, 36.7 percent (163,045) were Democrat compared to 46.6 percent (206,761) Republican.
Bartlett has served the district since 1993. He is expected to seek another two-year term in office, but has yet to make an announcement.
Duck is confident that Bartlett's opposition to President Barack Obama's stimulus package and revelations of prisoner torture during the Bush administration will help Duck succeed this time. Duck also considers his experience as a licensed financial consultant a benefit during the country's tough economic times.
"I think the district deserves better," he said. "I do have the experience as a financial consultant and an economic background. I do have that experience and I will bring that experience to the job."
Duck won the Democratic nomination when he ran in 2006, but lost to Bartlett in the general election. In 2008, Duck lost the Democratic nomination to Frederick's former mayor Jennifer P. Dougherty.
Dougherty, who has announced her run for mayor in this year's city election, lost to Bartlett in the general election.
Duck is a 1979 graduate of Middletown High School, and is married with three children and one grandchild.
He served in Iraq as an Army intelligence officer with the Combined Forces Land Component Command, and is employed in military intelligence for the Pentagon.
In 2006 and 2008, frustration about the war in Iraq and how it was handled by the Bush administration persuaded Duck to seek office.
The troubled economy, energy and health care are the driving factors this time. Duck said he has been without health care before, and his drive from Brunswick to Washington, D.C. each day can be a struggle when gas prices soar. "I think I bring to this campaign and to this office experience," he said. "I understand the issues because I am dealing with it day in and day out."
At Monday's announcement, Bonita Currey of Middletown introduced Duck saying he was a man of "great integrity.