Four words: the Club For Growth. Harris passed the $1 million marker in the fourth quarter of 2007, largely through contributions directed to him by the CFG. They also spent heavily on his behalf, and while the League of Conservation and Republicans Who Care tried to compete for Gilchrest, Harris set the pace.

Conservative activists originally wanted him to get in the race last spring and after he turned them down, they went to Andy Harris. Then, days before the filing deadline, Pipkin throws his hat in the ring. With no money left from his 2004 U.S. Senate run, it was going to be a steep climb, though he must have been encouraged by the deep dislike of Gilchrest’s record while others felt Harris’ approach was too abrasive. He thought he could be the perfect mix of the two.

He had always refused to accept it, as a matter of principle. ‘No one would buy his vote,’ the thinking went. And then Andy Harris was raising money hand-over-fist with the Club for Growth’s help. So in December, Gilchrest announced he began accepting money from political action groups in the fourth quarter of 2007. It helped him run a stronger campaign, but it was a severe moral loss for him.

Without much help from a national campaign or pre-existing organization, supporters of Ron Paul were able to file a full slate of delegates and several candidates for Congress. The House candidates won the Republican nominations in four safely Democratic districts, though their candidates for RNC delegate failed to perform. Overall, they showed themselves to be more organized than the state GOP.

Maybe not so pivotal, but highly entertaining. Harris charged Robert Banks with having ulterior motives for entering the race – namely accusing him of being a spoiler for Gilchrest. So Banks held a press conference promising, "Banks To Reveal Source of Congressional Candidacy." And he did: it was his three young non-sinister-looking daughters.