Gilchrest, W Rep

Gilchrest

Meanwhile, Republicans who do believe in global warming get shunted aside. ...Gannett News Service recently reported that Rep. Wayne Gilchrest asked to be on the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio refused to allow it unless Gilchrest would say that humans have not contributed to global warming. The Maryland Republican refused and was denied a seat. http://articles.latimes.com/2007/mar/25/opinion/op-chait25

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Wayne Thomas Gilchrest (born April 15, 1946) is a former <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Republican_Party" title="United States Republican Party" class="mw-redirect">Republican</a> member of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives" title="United States House of Representatives">United States House of Representatives</a> who represented <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland%27s_1st_congressional_district" title="Maryland's 1st congressional district">Maryland's 1st congressional district</a>. In 2008, the moderate Gilchrest was defeated in the Republican <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_election" title="Primary election">primary</a> by State Senator <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Harris" title="Andy Harris" class="mw-redirect">Andy Harris</a>.

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<h2>Contents</h2>

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<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#Early_life_and_education">1 Early life and education</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#Congressional_career">2 Congressional career</a>

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<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#2008_election">2.1 2008 election</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#Committee_and_caucus_membership">2.2 Committee and caucus membership</a></li>

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<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#Election_history">3 Election history</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#References">5 References</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-8"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#External_links">6 External links</a></li>

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<h2>Early life and education</h2>

Born in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahway,_New_Jersey" title="Rahway, New Jersey">Rahway, New Jersey</a>, Gilchrest was the fourth child of Elizabeth and Arthur Gilchrest's six boys. After graduating high school in 1964, he joined the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps" title="United States Marine Corps">U.S. Marine Corps</a>. His tour of duty saw action during the invasion of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republic" title="Dominican Republic">Dominican Republic</a>, and ultimately the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War" title="Vietnam War">Vietnam War</a>. He earned the rank of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergeant#United_States" title="Sergeant">Sergeant</a> in Vietnam where, as a platoon leader, he was wounded in the chest. Gilchrest was decorated with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Heart" title="Purple Heart">Purple Heart</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Star_Medal" title="Bronze Star Medal">Bronze Star</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_Commendation_Medal" title="Navy Commendation Medal" class="mw-redirect">Navy Commendation Medal</a>. Today he is a member of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Legion" title="American Legion">American Legion</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_of_Foreign_Wars" title="Veterans of Foreign Wars">Veterans of Foreign Wars</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Order_of_the_Purple_Heart" title="Military Order of the Purple Heart" class="mw-redirect">Military Order of the Purple Heart</a>.

Rep. Gilchrest (second from left) and others join President <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush" title="George W. Bush">George W. Bush</a> for the signing of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=North_American_Wetlands_Conservation_Reauthorization_Act&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="North American Wetlands Conservation Reauthorization Act (page does not exist)">North American Wetlands Conservation Reauthorization Act</a>.</div>

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In 1969, he received an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associate%27s_degree" title="Associate's degree" class="mw-redirect">associate's degree</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_College%28Delaware%29" title="Wesley College (Delaware)">Wesley College</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover,Delaware" title="Dover, Delaware">Dover, Delaware</a>. He then spent a semester in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky" title="Kentucky">Kentucky</a> studying rural poverty in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachia" title="Appalachia">Appalachia</a>. He went on to receive a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor%27s_degree" title="Bachelor's degree">bachelor's degree</a> in history from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_State_University" title="Delaware State University">Delaware State College</a> in 1973. Since then, he has done some work towards a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master%27s_degree" title="Master's degree">master's degree</a> at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyola_College_in_Maryland" title="Loyola College in Maryland" class="mw-redirect">Loyola College</a> in Baltimore.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-0">[1]</a>

<h2>Congressional career</h2>

While teaching at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kent_County_High_School&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Kent County High School (page does not exist)">Kent County High School</a> on the Eastern Shore, Gilchrest ran against four-term 1st District <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Democratic_Party" title="United States Democratic Party" class="mw-redirect">Democratic</a> incumbent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Dyson" title="Roy Dyson">Roy Dyson</a> in 1988. Dyson was plagued by allegations of improper contributions from defense contractors and questions about his sexual orientation. Despite being badly outspent, Gilchrest nearly unseated Dyson, losing by only 460 votes. He sought a rematch in 1990; this time soundly beating Dyson by 14%. In 1992, he survived a close contest against <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_McMillen" title="Tom McMillen" class="mw-redirect">Tom McMillen</a>, who had represented the 4th District before being drawn into the 1st District. Gilchrest won by only 3%, largely by swamping McMillen on the Eastern Shore. He wouldn't face serious opposition again for over a decade.

Gilchrest is a moderate Republican, and he broke ranks with his party more often than any other House member in 2007.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-1">[2]</a> While Democrats and Republicans are nearly tied in registration (183,332 Democrats to 180,856 Republicans <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.elections.state.md.us/pdf/vrar/2006_general_stats.pdf">[2]</a>), the district has a strong tinge of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_conservatism" title="Social conservatism">social conservatism</a> that usually favors Republicans. The 1st has a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_Partisan_Voting_Index" title="Cook Partisan Voting Index">Cook Partisan Voting Index</a> rating of R+13, indicating that it is a strongly Republican district, and supported President Bush's re-election with over 60% of the vote.

Gilchrest is a member of many moderate Republican groups such as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Main_Street_Partnership" title="Republican Main Street Partnership">Republican Main Street Partnership</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republicans_for_Environmental_Protection" title="Republicans for Environmental Protection" class="mw-redirect">Republicans for Environmental Protection</a>, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Majority_For_Choice" title="Republican Majority For Choice" class="mw-redirect">Republican Majority For Choice</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-2">[3]</a> He was also the co-chairman of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Congressional_Climate_Change_Caucus&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Congressional Climate Change Caucus (page does not exist)">Congressional Climate Change Caucus</a> together with Democrat <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Olver" title="John Olver">John Olver</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts%27s_1st_congressional_district" title="Massachusetts's 1st congressional district">MA-1</a>).<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-3">[4]</a> Gilchrest was a Republican co-sponsor of Rep. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marty_Meehan" title="Marty Meehan">Marty Meehan</a>'s "Military Readiness Enhancement Act" which would have repealed the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_ask,_don%27t_tell" title="Don't ask, don't tell">Don't ask, don't tell</a>" policy.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-4">[5]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-5">[6]</a> Gilchrest also spoke in favor of same-sex marriage while the Maryland Legislature was considering legalizing it, calling same-sex marriage a matter of "social justice, civil rights and a more viable democracy."<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-6">[7]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-7">[8]</a>

Aside from his socially moderate stance, Gilchrest has drawn attention for his stance on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War" title="Iraq War">Iraq War</a>. Though he initially supported the war,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-8">[9]</a> Gilchrest's support waned as the occupation became increasingly violent, expressing his support for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_Study_Group_Report" title="Iraq Study Group Report">Iraq Study Group Report</a> and called on setting a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-9">[10]</a> Gilchrest also joined 16 Republicans and 229 Democrats voting in favor of House <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concurrent_Resolution" title="Concurrent Resolution" class="mw-redirect">Concurrent Resolution</a> (H.CON.RES) 63, a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-binding_resolution" title="Non-binding resolution">non-binding resolution</a> expressing disapproval for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War_troop_surge_of_2007" title="Iraq War troop surge of 2007">Iraq War troop surge of 2007</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-10">[11]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-11">[12]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-12">[13]</a>

<h3>2008 election</h3>

<div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle">Main article: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_Maryland,_2008" title="United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland, 2008">United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland, 2008</a></div>

Gilchrest's moderate voting record resulted in vigorous primary challenges from Republicans who considered him a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_in_Name_Only" title="Republican in Name Only" class="mw-redirect">Republican in Name Only</a>. However, none were successful until 2008. That year, State Senator <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_P.Harris" title="Andrew P. Harris">Andrew Harris</a>, State Senator <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_J.Pipkin" title="Edward J. Pipkin" class="mw-redirect">E. J. Pipkin</a>, Joe Arminio, and Robert Banks challenged Gilchrest in the 2008 Republican primary. Harris was strongly supported by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_for_Growth" title="Club for Growth">Club for Growth</a>.

Harris defeated Gilchrest in the Republican primary, with Pipkin finishing third.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-13">[14]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-14">[15]</a> After Gilchrest's loss in the primary, he broke with his party and endorsed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Anne%27s_County,Maryland" title="Queen Anne's County, Maryland">Queen Anne's County</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State%27s_Attorney" title="State's Attorney" class="mw-redirect">State's Attorney</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Kratovil" title="Frank Kratovil">Frank Kratovil</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party%28United_States%29" title="Democratic Party (United States)">Democratic</a> nominee, in the general election,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-15">[16]</a> being quoted as saying, "Let's see, the Republican Party, or my eternal soul?" and "Party loyalty, or integrity?" when questioned.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-16">[17]</a> Kratovil won the election.

On September 18, 2008, Gilchrest made radio comments praising the Democratic Presidential ticket of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama" title="Barack Obama">Barack Obama</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden" title="Joe Biden">Joe Biden</a>, causing some media outlets to claim his endorsement of the Democratic ticket.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-17">[18]</a> However, Gilchrest quickly clarified these comments, saying that they did not amount to an endorsement.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-18">[19]</a> Despite the fact that he did not officially endorse Obama, in an October 2 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Post" title="Washington Post" class="mw-redirect">Washington Post</a> article, Gilchrest sharply criticized his own party and their presidential nominee, fellow Vietnam veteran <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain" title="John McCain">John McCain</a>. Gilchrest said that the Republican party "has become more narrow, more self-serving, more centered around 'I want, I want, I want.'" and said that McCain "recites memorized pieces of information in a narrow way, whereas Barack Obama is constantly evaluating information, using his judgment. One guy just recites what's in front of him, and the other has initiative and reason and prudence and wisdom."<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-19">[20]</a> Gilchrest later told <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WBAL-TV" title="WBAL-TV">WBAL-TV</a> that he voted for Obama in the November election.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-20">[21]</a>

Gilchrest was ranked as the House's most liberal Republican in 2008 (his final term) by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Journal" title="National Journal">National Journal</a>, placing him to the left of 8 House Democrats.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gilchrest#cite_note-21">[22]</a>

<h3>Committee and caucus membership</h3>

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<li>Committee on Natural Resources

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<li>Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans (Chairman 2001-2007)</li>

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</li>

<li>Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

<ul>

<li>Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation</li>

<li>Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials</li>

<li>Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment</li>

</ul>

</li>

</ul>

<ul>

<li>Founder and Co-chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force</li>

<li>Co-founder and Co-chair of the Congressional Climate Change Caucus</li>

<li>Co-chair of the House Oceans Caucus</li>

<li>Chairman of the House Corps Reform Caucus</li>

<li>Co-founder and Co-chair of the House Organic Caucus</li>

<li>Co-founder and Co-chair of the House Dialogue Caucus</li>

</ul>

<h2>Election history</h2>