[The Kent Island Bay Times]
By BOBBY MCMAHON
 |
ANNAPOLIS When he began his campaign for the U.S. Senate last July, Eric Wargotz said he knew it was a long shot to beat U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md.

But now, after recent Republican victories and a generally negative mood about Democratic incumbents in Congress, Wargotz believes that shot has become not quite so long.

"Now we see the path broadening and the light at the end of the tunnel," Wargotz said.

Wargotz, a physician and a Queen Anne's County commissioner, officially filed Friday with the Maryland State Board of Elections. In an interview Friday, Wargotz discussed why he believes he can win in November, what would happen if former Gov. Robert Ehrlich entered the Republican Senate primary race and the issues on which his campaign will focus.

From most points of view, the odds are stacked quite high against Wargotz. While he has significantly more money ($156,865 on hand as of Dec. 31, 2009) than the five other Republican candidates, he is way behind Mikulski, who has more than $2 million in her campaign coffers at last report.

If past elections are any indication, Mikulski beat State Sen. E.J. Pipkin by about a two-to-one margin in 2004. Recent polling also shows that a majority of Marylanders still approve of the job she is doing in Washington.

But Wargotz believes Mikulski's popularity to be slipping, citing a recent Rasmussen poll that showed the senator winning an election against a generic Republican candidate by a 54 percent to 36 percent margin (in the poll, 8 percent were undecided and 2 percent would vote for someone else). If more polling shows similar numbers or worse, Wargotz said, the outlook for their campaign improves.

He also sees the recent victory of U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., as well as the current momentum against Democrats in Congress (historically, the president's party typically loses seats in a mid-term election) as more good news for his campaign.

"There's an anti-incumbent wave, and you have to make sure you're the most credible candidate the quality candidate and get your message out to catch that wave," Wargotz said.

To beat Mikulski, Wargotz will have to improve his name recognition in the state. Wargotz said he has been working to get his name and message out since starting his campaign in July attending meetings, holding forums and reaching out to voters through social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Beyond the Republicans already filed, Wargotz also could be competing with former Gov. Robert Ehrlich, who last week told reporters he was considering a run against Mikulski. If the former governor did enter the race, Wargotz said his campaign would look at the environment of the campaign and then make a decision.

"We wouldn't be in such a rush to get out if he gets in," Wargotz said. "I've been running since July. I've got an investment I've got people who are invested in me."

Don Murphy, a senior campaign adviser to Wargotz, said Ehrlich's interest in the race alone is more evidence that Wargotz's campaign isn't as much of a long shot as most people think.

"If  Ehrlich is considering it, we must be in the game," Murphy said.
A self-described "constitutional conservative," Wargotz said his campaign will focus on a number of issues, including providing more support for small businesses and manufacturing through tax cuts and other means, fiscal issues such as reducing the national deficit and balancing the budget, and addressing high costs and doctor shortages in health care.

Wargotz also said that the state must work more with Pennsylvania to clean up the Chesapeake Bay rather than creating more regulations for farmers. He called the current level of regulations "oppressive."
As for the up-hill climb he faces, Wargotz said he believes he can win, and knows there's a great deal of hard work ahead of him.

"We need leadership, and I want to put myself out there," Wargotz said. "I feel that I have something to contribute and can help solve these challenging issues."