Five Republicans found the gumption to join with Democrats in voting for the slots referendum, probably because slots are popular in their districts. I’d like to think those votes might signal the beginning of the end of bitter partisan unpleasantness in the Maryland General Assembly, but not likely.
The Republican votes were critical to passing the referendum bill, which is a priority for Gov. Martin O’Malley. For the record, the five Republicans are:
- Page Elmore, District 38A on the Eastern Shore
- Richard Impallaria,District 7, in the conservative Baltimore County and Harford County suburbs
- Wade Kach, District 5B, Northern Baltimore County horse country
- James King, District 33A, Anne Arundel County.
- Richard Weldon, District 3B, Frederick and Washington counties
For an extensive report on the Special Session slots referendum vote, including a list of the eight Montgomery County Democrats who held out against O’Malley and voted against the referendum, see Maryland Politics Watch, http://maryland-politics.blogspot.com.
For speculation on which delegates might run against which senators in the 2010 Democratic primary election in Montgomery, see see Eric Luedtke’s article at http://freestatepolitics.us/frontpage.do — Bernie Hayden
Ocean City Blog 
Posted on November 17, 2007
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