The 2012 Congressional race in Maryland’s Fifth District is underway with the official opening of Republican hopeful Anthony J. “Tony” O’Donnell’s Prince Frederick campaign headquarters. O’Donnell, the current Maryland House of Delegates minority leader and Lusby resident, indicated the record, lengthy tenure in office and liberalism of incumbent Democrat Steny H. Hoyer will be a major issue during the campaign.
O’Donnell addressed an overflow crowd Saturday, Jan. 28 during an open house. He prefaced his remarks with the theme “why Steny needs to move on.”
O’Donnell was first elected to the state legislature in 1994, winning the General Election that year by a handful of votes. He indicated his congressional campaign would also be a “grassroots” effort, an acknowledgement that Hoyer is likely to have a heftier war chest for the 2012 race.
“What has he [Hoyer] done for us? He likes to claim he’s saved Pax River [Patuxent Naval Air Station],” O’Donnell stated. “He’s actually threatening Pax River because he’s helped run up our debt.” Noting the national debt is roughly $16 trillion, O’Donnell added that the deficit compromises “our world-class military.”
In introducing O’Donnell during the rally portion of the open house, former Calvert County Commissioner and current National GOP Committeewoman Joyce Lyons Terhes indicated it was time for turnover on Capitol Hill.
“This country is in grave trouble,” said Terhes. “We are fast becoming socialist.”
She said O’Donnell has helped “build a bipartisan coalition” in Annapolis.
O’Donnell announced his campaign for Congress back in December in a video posted on the Internet.
“It’s still working for us,” said O’Donnell, who implored supporters to share the video with friends.
While O’Donnell’s support and name recognition are solid in Calvert and St. Mary’s, bigger block of voters in the Democrat-dominated Charles and Prince George’s counties pose th
