Roscoe Bartlett

Del. Sue Hecht (D-Frederick County)DENVER - State Del. C. Sue Hecht (D-Frederick County) says 6th District congressional candidate Jennifer Dougherty (D-Frederick) can win in November, but it’s going to be an uphill battle.

“I’ve known Jennifer for many years and she’s a fighter and she’s very smart. People are wanting a change and I think this is a time where all the stars can aline,” Hecht told PolitickerMD.com during a reception for U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Mechanicsville).

Hecht said she recognized the challenges Dougherty faces.

“It’s the most conservative most difficult district for a Democrat to run in in Maryland,” she said. “It’s absolutely an uphill battle for any Democrat. It’s not just Jennifer.”

Rep. Roscoe BartlettU.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Frederick) released a new radio ad calling for “environmentally responsible offshore drilling.”

"We American's are a proud independent people," said Bartlett in the radio spot. "But now we must free ourselves from foreign oil. And we know we can through an aggressive energy plan that provides for environmentally responsible offshore drilling and investments in new technologies and alternative energies. We can free ourselves, but the Democrat lead Congress is standing in our way."

Bartlett’s Democratic opponent, former Frederick Mayor Jennifer Dougherty, says Bartlett "doesn't have a good energy plan."

I am not saying Roscoe Bartlett is just like Alaska’s Republican Senator Ted Stevens. No way.

You know Ted Stevens. He was just indicted for failure to file accurate and proper financial disclosure forms – those being the legal papers that would tell anyone who would like to know where our congressional “leaders” get and keep their wealth, among other things.

After all, Ted Stevens is alleged to have engaged in some interesting financial hanky-panky with an oil services company and some expensive home repairs on a still ratty looking A-frame he calls a residence somewhere south of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (It is, however, somewhat closer to Ted’s infamous “Bridge to Nowhere” pork-barrel project.)

Roscoe’s pickle is nothing like that. Ted Stevens is innocent until proven guilty and so is Roscoe, who is apparently so innocent he has a multitude of reasons why he filed multiple false financial disclosure forms for about 5 years. The same things just keep happening over and over. And over and over.

Franchot believes Dougherty is going to "pull off the biggest political upset in recent Maryland history." : Politicker Photo

FREDERICK - Comptroller Peter Franchot is making a bold prediction: Jennifer Dougherty is going to "pull off the biggest political upset in recent Maryland history" in her bid for Congress against eight-term U.S. Rep. U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Frederick).

"We're gonna wake up on November 5th and one of the headlines is going to be Jennifer's victory," said Franchot, who joined Dougherty on a walking tour yesterday in Frederick, where the Democratic House candidate served as Mayor.

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett is stilling vying to be the Republican ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee -- a position which can hinge on how well your campaign war chest is doing.

So, how's it going?

In an effort to clear up a potentially damaging political situation, U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Frederick) says that three properties he sold since 2004 were not reported in his financial disclosure because he never made any capital gains.

The confusion originally began when The Frederick News Post reported that Bartlett failed to disclose an estimated $1 million in income from property sales since 2004. Bartlett has declined to voluntarily release income tax returns that could potentially clear up the matter. Bartlett is not legally required to do so.

Earlier last week, Jennifer Dougherty, Bartlett's Democratic opponent,called on Bartlett to further explain the matter.

"This could be a serious legal matter involving more than $1 million in real estate sales," said Dougherty in a statement. "I hope he will do everything he can to clear this up." The former Frederick mayor pressed Bartlett to "face me or the public."

Bartlett Press Secretary Lisa Wright responded by acknowledging the error and announced Bartlett had hired a Certified Public Accountant to further clear up the matter.

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett's office did a release late today on his incomplete financial disclosures. It takes a tough line against the Frederick News Post.

It's Maryland's Winners and Losers for August 1, 2008. CLICK HERE.

More PolitickerMD.com coverage: Dougherty to Bartlett: ‘It’s time to step forward and clear this up’