House of Representatives, District 8
Due to congressional redistricting by the Maryland General Assembly and then Governor Paris Glendenning, most Blazers have fallen within the boundaries of District Eight since January 2003 (view old boundaries, new boundaries). While District Eight used to contain all but southwestern Montgomery County and was represented by Republican Connie Morella, the addition of the more liberal areas of Takoma Park and northern Silver Spring gave Democrat Chris Van Hollen the edge in the 2002 election.
Because Morella is both a liberal Republican and a woman, she was historically able to gain a significant number of votes from conservative Democrats and independents. Despite this fact, she was still beaten by Van Hollen in 2002. As the three Republican challengers to Van Hollen are solidly conservative white males, they are less likely to have the same appeal to swing voters. Consequently, the democratic nominee (most likely Van Hollen) is likely to hold onto his seat. However, this should prove to be an interesting race, as the GOP is looking to regain a seat that they lost in 2002.
Democratic Candidates
Chris Van Hollen (Incumbent)
Chris Van Hollen currently lives in Kensington, Maryland. He was born in Karachi, Pakistan to parents in the U.S. Foreign Service and spent much of his childhood abroad. He earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Swarthmore, an M.P.P. (Masters of Public Policy) from Harvard's respected John F. Kennedy School of Government and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law School. Before being elected to Congress, he was a prominent State Senator. While being a strong advocate of deficit and debt reduction, he favors funding domestic social programs, universal healthcare, and education. He voted not to authorize the latest $87 billion dollar allotment for Iraq. Instead of strengthening traditional military power, he favors strengthening domestic infrastructure in order to protect homeland security.
Deborah Vollmer
Deborah Vollmer currently lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She is a prominent community activist and lawyer, who received a B.A. in Government from Clark University and a J.D. from the University of Maryland Law School. Her campaign has been centered around ending the war in Iraq and changing U.S. foreign policy. She favors greater U.S. cooperation with the United Nations and believes that the United Nations should replace U.S. troops currently in Iraq. Unlike Van Hollen and many Democrats, she favors a universal single-payer healthcare system.
Lih Young
Lih Young currently lives in Fallsmead, Maryland. She was born in Taiwan, where she received a B.A. in Economics from National Taiwan University. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from City University of New York. She has worked as an advocate and a television host and producer. She has been involved in the Montgomery County Chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP. She is also a member of the National Organization for Women, the League of Women Voters, Common Cause, Public Citizen and the National Resources Defense Council. She has focused the major issues of her campaign on domestic policies, including social benefits, the environment, public accountability and civil rights.
Chips' Best Guess: Chris Van Hollen is likely to win the Democratic primary due to his successful fundraising efforts, his incumbency and his endorsement by the Maryland Democratic Party.
Republican Candidates
Robin Ficker
Robin Ficker is a famous (many consider him to be "infamous") conservative community activist and former State Delegate who lives in Boyds, Maryland. He dropped out of West Point in his third year, and went on to receive his B.S. in engineering at Case Tech and his J.D. at the University of Baltimore Law School. He also received an M.A. in Public Administration from American University. He is a strong advocate of tax cuts at the federal, state and municipal levels, advocating making government more "efficient" by supporting President Bush's fiscal policies. In the past, he has advocated cutting school funding in favor of decreases in county property taxes. He is also a strong supporter of the Inter-County Connector and a light rail between Bethesda, Silver Spring and Germantown. He recently sued fellow Republican candidate Chuck Floyd after an aide for Floyd bought www.robinficker.com and posted information regarding Ficker's extensive criminal record.
http://www.robinficker.com (not associated with the Ficker Campaign)
Chuck Floyd
Chuck Floyd currently lives in Kensington, Maryland. He received a B.S. in Biology at the University of Richmond with an Army ROTC scholarship, and rose to the rank of major before retiring. He also earned an M.B.A. from Webster University and an M.S. in Logistics from Florida Institute of Technology. Floyd left his Bush-appointed position at the United States Department of State to run for Congress and is considered to be the favorite for the Republican nomination. Like Ficker, his primary campaign goals are tax cuts and fiscal responsibility. He also favors policies that spur small business growth and employment. Floyd advocates protecting the environment and improving homeland security.
Steve Rosen
Steve Rosen currently lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He received a B.A. in Geography from Hunter College and also was trained in the areas of world politics, weapons of mass destruction and international trade by the CIA and Defense Department. Rosen is a prominent community activist, advocating changes in immigration and terrorism policies. He believes that immigration to the United States, and Montgomery County in particular, should be severely curbed. He considers overcrowded schools, rising housing costs and traffic gridlock to be direct results of lax immigration policies. He also considers immigration to be hurting American employment, and wants to prevent businesses from outsourcing jobs to foreign countries such as India and China.
Chips' Best Guess: Chuck Floyd is most likely to win the Republican primary due to his experience in the State Department, successful military career and untarnished past. Ficker's reputation, as well as his criminal record, will cause him significant problems, and Rosen has no significant support and is seen by many as radical in his views towards immigrants.
Elliott Wolf. Elliott Wolf is a magnet senior who is thrilled to be writing for Silverchips Online in his last year of high school. He has lived in TAKOMA PARK for his entire life, and is proud to come from the hippie capitol of the east coast. … More »
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