The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the eight

U.S. representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from the state of Maryland, one from each of the state's eight

congressional districts Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...

. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including the quadrennial

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

and an election to the U.S. Senate. The new congressional map, drawn and passed by the Democratic-controlled Maryland General Assembly, was signed into law by Governor

Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. O'Malley ...

on October 20, 2011. The map made the 6th district, at that time represented by Republican Roscoe Bartlett, much more favorable to Democrats.

Overview

District 1

The redrawn

1st district The Innere Stadt (; Central Bavarian: ''Innare Stod'') is the 1st municipal district of Vienna () located in the center of the Austrian capital. The Innere Stadt is the old town of Vienna. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the Inn ...

includes

Caroline Caroline may refer to: People * Caroline (given name), a feminine given name * J. C. Caroline (born 1933), American college and National Football League player * Jordan Caroline (born 1996), American (men's) basketball player Places Antarctica * ...

Cecil Cecil may refer to: People with the name * Cecil (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) * Cecil (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Canada *Cecil, Alberta, ...

, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset,

Talbot Talbot was an automobile marque introduced in 1902 by English-French company Clément-Talbot. The founders, Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury and Adolphe Clément-Bayard, reduced their financial interests in their Clément-Talbot ...

, Wicomico, and Worcester counties, as well as parts of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

, Carroll, and Harford counties. Republican incumbent Andy Harris, who had been first elected in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, ran for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Andy Harris, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Wendy Rosen, businesswoman

=Eliminated in primary

= * John LaFerla, OB/GYN physician and former president of the Kent County Democratic Central Committee * Kimberley Letke, businesswoman

=Declined

= *

Frank Kratovil Frank Michael Kratovil Jr. (born May 29, 1968) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2011. Elected in 2008, he was defeated in his bid for reelection on November 2, 2010. Kratovil is a member of the Democratic ...

, former U.S. Representative

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Nominee

*Muir Boda, asset protection manager

General election

Campaign

After Rosen won the primary, she was forced to withdraw from the race on September 10, 2012, after evidence surfaced that she'd voted in both Maryland and Florida in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Rosen had property in Florida, and Maryland law allowed property owners to vote in local elections even if they live elsewhere. However, her Florida voting registration reportedly also gave her access to state and federal elections there, something which was not allowed by Maryland law. As the deadline for replacing a candidate on the general election ballot was August 28, members of the Democratic Central Committees of each county in the district had to choose a write-in candidate to run in November. Two potential candidates who indicated an interest were former U.S. Representative Wayne Gilchrest, who represented the 1st district as a Republican from 1991 to 2009, and LaFerla, who finished a close second in the primary. LaFerla was then endorsed as the Democratic write-in candidate.

Results

District 2

The redrawn 2nd district includes parts of Anne Arundel,

, Harford, and

Howard Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

counties, and parts of the city of

. Democrat Dutch Ruppersberger, who had represented the 2nd district since 2003, ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Dutch Ruppersberger, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Nancy Jacobs Nancy Jacobs (born October 27, 1951 in West Virginia) is a former Maryland State Senator representing District 34. Early life, education, and early career Jacobs attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, West Virginia. After high school, ...

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * Ray Bly, veteran * Vladmir Degen *

Richard Impallaria Richard K. Impallaria (born November 1, 1962) is an American politician who served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 7 in Baltimore and Harford counties, from 2003 to 2023. Early life and career Impallaria ...

, state delegate * Howard Orton * Larry Smith, former aide to U.S. Representative Andy Harris

=Declined

= * Pat McDonough, state delegate

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Nominee

*Leo Dymowski, Army veteran and attorney

General election

Results

District 3

The redrawn 3rd district includes parts of Anne Arundel,

, and Montgomery counties, and parts of the city of

. Democrat John Sarbanes, who had represented the 3rd district since 2007, ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * John Sarbanes, incumbent

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * Dave Lockwood, management consultant

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Eric Delano Knowles, bartender and Constitution Party nominee for governor for

=Eliminated in primary

= * Armand Girard, retired teacher * Thomas E. "Pinkston" Harris, nominee for this seat in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and candidate for in

* Draper Phelps,

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Paul Drgos Jr, computer programmer

General election

Results

District 4

The redrawn

4th district Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

includes parts of Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties. Democrat Donna Edwards, who has represented the 4th district since 2008, ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Donna Edwards, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Ian Garner, U.S. Navy veteran * George McDermott, entrepreneur

=Withdrawn

= * Glenn Ivey, former Prince George's County

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

=Declined

= * Jaime Benoit, Anne Arundel County councilman

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Faith Loudon

=Eliminated in primary

= *Randy Gearhart *Greg Holmes *Charles Shepherd

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Scott Soffen

General election

Results

District 5

The redrawn

5th district District 5, 5 District or 5th District may refer to: Europe * District 5 (Zürich) * District 5, Düsseldorf * V District, Turku * Districts of Malta#District 5, District 5, an electoral district of Malta * Districts of Malta#District 5 2, Distric ...

includes Calvert,

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

, and St. Mary's counties, as well as parts of Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties. Democrat

Steny Hoyer Steny Hamilton Hoyer (born June 14, 1939) is an American politician and attorney serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 1981 and as House majority leader, House Majority Leader since 2019. A Democrat ...

, who has represented the 5th district since 1981, ran from re-election

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Steny Hoyer, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Cathy Johnson Pendleton, publishing company founder

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Tony O'Donnell, Minority Leader of the Maryland House of Delegates

=Eliminated in primary

= * David Hill, motorcycle technician * Glenn Troy Morton, author

=Declined

= * Charles Lollar, nominee for this seat in

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Arvin Vohra, aeducator and entrepreneur

Green primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Bob Auerbach

General election

Jeremy Stinson, an unaffiliated candidate, did not secure a ballot nomination and ran as a write-in candidate.

Results

District 6

The redrawn 6th district includes Allegany, Garrett, and Washington counties, as well as parts of Frederick and Montgomery counties. Republican Roscoe Bartlett, who had represented the 6th district since 1993, ran for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Roscoe Bartlett, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= *

Kathy Afzali Kathryn L. Afzali (born May 27, 1957) is an American politician who represented district 4 in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2011 to 2019. Background Afzali was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area. She is a graduate of Mount St. ...

, state delegate *

David R. Brinkley David R. Brinkley (born September 24, 1959) is the Secretary of Budget and Management for the U.S. state of Maryland. He was appointed to the position by Governor Larry Hogan in 2015. Early life, education, and pre-political career David Brink ...

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

* Robert Coblentz, systems analyst for the American Public University System and vice president of the Washington County Republican Club *

Robin Ficker Robin Ficker (born April 5, 1943) is an American disbarred attorney, real estate broker, former state legislator, political activist, sports heckler, and perennial political candidate. Ficker ran unsuccessfully for Montgomery County Executive i ...

, former state delegate and perennial candidate * Peter James, farmer and nominee for the 4th district in

* Joseph Krysztoforski, retired entrepreneur * Brandon Rippeon, businessman

=Declined

= *

Alex X. Mooney Alexander Xavier Mooney (born June 7, 1971) is an American politician serving since 2015 as the U.S. representative from . A member of the Republican Party, he represented the 3rd district in the Maryland State Senate from 1999 to 2011 and is a ...

, chairman of the

Maryland Republican Party The Maryland Republican Party is the Maryland state branch of the Republican Party (GOP), headquartered in Annapolis. Current elected officials Members of Congress U.S. Senate *None Both of Maryland's U.S. Senate seats have been held by Demo ...

and former state senator * Bud Otis, Rep. Bartlett's former

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

* Christopher B. Shank, state senator

Endorsements

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * John Delaney, commercial banker

=Eliminated in primary

= * Charles Bailey *

Robert J. Garagiola Robert J. Garagiola (born September 5, 1972) is an American lawyer and former politician from the state of Maryland. A Democrat, he had represented District 15 in north-western Montgomery County in the Maryland State Senate. Early life and fami ...

, state senator * Ron Little, member of the Montgomery County Board of Social Services * Milad Pooran, doctor and Air Force veteran

=Withdrawn

= * Duchy Trachtenberg, former member of the Montgomery County Council

=Declined

= * Mark Shriver, state delegate *

Doug Duncan Douglas Michael Duncan (born October 25, 1955) is a former American politician from Maryland who served as Rockville City Councilman, Rockville Mayor, Montgomery County Executive, and candidate for Governor of Maryland. He is a member of the De ...

, former Montgomery County Executive

Endorsements

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Nickolaus Mueller

General election

Campaign

Facing a district that had been significantly redrawn to favour the Democrats (going from a seat that McCain carried with 57%, Obama would have carried the redrawn seat with 56%) the Bartlett campaign faced further diffcultlies when the Federal Elections Commission fined Bartlett $5,000 for repeatedly failing to submit accurate campaign finance disclosure reports. When Todd Akin made his controversial comments about female biology, Bartlett immediately repudiated them, adding "There is no room in politics for these types of statements...As a human physiologist I know there is no scientific backing to Todd's claims." He followed it up with reiterating that his view on abortion exceptions has been "the same for twenty years. I'm pro-life, with exceptions for the life of the mother, rape and incest...I'm so avidly pro-life I'm against corporal punishment" However, it later transpired in 2001 Bartlett had supported a constitutional amendment which did not include the rape and incest exceptions.

Endorsements

Debates

Complete video of debate
October 17, 2012

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 7

The redrawn 7th district includes parts of

and

counties, and parts of the city of

. Democrat Elijah Cummings, who had represented the 7th district since 1996, ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Elijah Cummings, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= *Ty Busch *Charles Smith

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Frank Mirabile

=Eliminated in primary

= *Justin Kinsey

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Ronald Owens-Bey

General election

Results

District 8

The redrawn

8th district 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of the ...

will include parts of Carroll, Frederick, and Montgomery counties. Democrat Chris Van Hollen, who had represented the 8th district since 2003, ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Chris Van Hollen, incumbent

=Eliminated in primary

= * George English, retired economist

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Kenneth Timmerman Kenneth R. Timmerman (born November 4, 1953) is a political writer and conservative activist who was the 2012 Republican nominee for U.S. Representative for the newly redrawn , facing the incumbent Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat. Timmerman lost to ...

, author and reporter

=Eliminated in primary

= * Gus Alzona, accountant * Shelly Skolnick, attorney * Dave Wallace, businessman

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Mark Grannis, attorney

Green primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *George Gluck, computer consultant

General election

Results

References

External links

Maryland State Board of Elections

United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland, 2012
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

Maryland U.S. House
at OurCampaigns.com
Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in Maryland
at OpenSecrets
Outside spending
at the

Sunlight Foundation The Sunlight Foundation was an American 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocated for open government. The organization was founded in April 2006 with the goal of increasing transparency and accountability in the United States ...

{{United States elections, 2012 United States House of Representatives

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Maryland