Gilchrest endorses Obama

Outgoing Republican Congressman Wayne Gilchrest (MD-1), who has endorsed Barack Obama

One of Maryland’s two Republican Congressmen, Wayne Gilchrest, has endorsed Barack Obama for President. He says “My perspective is that the ticket is Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden that they have the breadth of experience, I think they are prudent, they are knowledgeable. . . . We just can’t use four more years of the same kind of policy that’s somewhat hazardous, which leads to recklessness.”

Gilchrest represents Maryland’s 1st Congressional District and has served in the House of Representatives since 1991. A moderate, generally pro-choice Republican, he lost his 2008 primary battle to conservative State Senator Andy Harris. As I blogged about earlier, Gilchrest has endorsed Harris’s general election opponent, Democratic State’s Attorney Frank Kratovil. A former U.S. Marine, Gilchrest was one of only a few Republicans who voted for a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq last year, a move which many think led to his primary defeat.

Obama gained another GOP endorsement from former Los Angeles Mayor Dick Riordan. Both California (55 electoral votes) and Maryland (10 electoral votes) are considered safe states for Obama.  Gilchrest and Joseph Lieberman are the only sitting members of Congress to have endorsed the other party’s nominee. Though, technically an independent, Lieberman caucuses with the Democrats. Some predict that the Connecticut Senator is likely to lose his committee chairmanship over his endorsement of McCain and speech at the Republican National Convention.