Below is an article on 1st congressional candidate Dr. Richard Davis, that was published in the Sunday print-only edition of the Easton Star-Democrat:
Story courtesy of The (Easton) Star Democrat
Got a campaign contribution? Dr. Davis says give it to charityBy STEVE NERY
News Editor
HURLOCK -- Dr. Davis doesn't desire contributions.
That's Dr. Richard Davis, the Libertarian candidate to represent the 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives, and he thinks people can spend their money on more useful things than political campaigns.
Despite declining contributions since he first ran for Congress two years ago, Davis, a dentist from Hurlock, still occasionally receives monetary offers.
His response: Make a donation to a charity instead, in honor of his campaign or the Maryland Libertarian Party.
"Rather than expend money on ads, yard signs or bumper stickers, I want to see that publicity benefit local communities regardless of the outcome of the campaign," Davis wrote in an e-mail. "My campaign is largely about returning maximum control to local communities, and anything that strengthens those communities from within is as valuable as what I hope to accomplish in running for Congress."
Davis said he just recently came up with the idea of directing donations to charities, after people kept offering him contributions despite his public stance that he would not accept them.
"I figured maybe I can do some good with this," he said. "If they really want to give money, let's put it to something useful rather than to yard signs and bumper stickers."
Davis wonders what the 1st District might look like if all the campaign contributions from the 2008 election went to local communities instead of the candidates.
U.S. Rep. Frank Kratovil, D-Md.-1st, spent nearly $2 million on his successful campaign, general election opponent State Sen. Andy Harris, R-7-Baltimore and Harford counties, spent more than $3 million, and state Sen. E.J. Pipkin, R-36-Upper Shore, and the former incumbent, Wayne Gilchrest, each spent more than $1 million leading up to the Republican primary, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
"With the economy on the Shore like it is ... think of what you could have done," Davis said. "I think there's too much money going in and too much money coming out of the process."
Davis said he agreed to run again when asked by the Maryland Libertarian Party.
"For a totally unknown, I thought I did reasonably well last time, plus I'm still thoroughly unhappy with what the two major parties are doing," he said.
He may spend a little of his own money on travel expenses and the like, but it again won't be anywhere near the $5,000 minimum required for filing an FEC report, Davis said.
"I'm not looking to buy votes. I would rather have people voting for me because they want what I believe in and not because they happened to see an ad," he said.
Davis received 8,873 votes last time, compared to 177,065 for Kratovil and 174,213 for Harris. He didn't win the election, but he won the title of most cost-effective candidate [-] Harris' campaign spent $17.36 for each vote received and Kratovil's campaign spent $11.26 per, while Davis spent only his time.
While he's not willing to spend money on signs and stickers, Davis is willing to meet with any group interested in hearing his views. He said he's especially open to any organization that wants him to speak on a specific topic or answer questions. He can be reached at 410-943-8314 or at rjdavislp@gmail.com.
Davis believes in lower taxes and government spending (including shifting taxation on income to consumption), Congressional term limits and gradually doing away with Social Security. For more information on his views, visit davis4congress.com.
Got a campaign contribution? Dr. Davis says give it to charityBy STEVE NERY
News Editor
HURLOCK -- Dr. Davis doesn't desire contributions.
That's Dr. Richard Davis, the Libertarian candidate to represent the 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives, and he thinks people can spend their money on more useful things than political campaigns.
Despite declining contributions since he first ran for Congress two years ago, Davis, a dentist from Hurlock, still occasionally receives monetary offers.
His response: Make a donation to a charity instead, in honor of his campaign or the Maryland Libertarian Party.
"Rather than expend money on ads, yard signs or bumper stickers, I want to see that publicity benefit local communities regardless of the outcome of the campaign," Davis wrote in an e-mail. "My campaign is largely about returning maximum control to local communities, and anything that strengthens those communities from within is as valuable as what I hope to accomplish in running for Congress."
Davis said he just recently came up with the idea of directing donations to charities, after people kept offering him contributions despite his public stance that he would not accept them.
"I figured maybe I can do some good with this," he said. "If they really want to give money, let's put it to something useful rather than to yard signs and bumper stickers."
Davis wonders what the 1st District might look like if all the campaign contributions from the 2008 election went to local communities instead of the candidates.
U.S. Rep. Frank Kratovil, D-Md.-1st, spent nearly $2 million on his successful campaign, general election opponent State Sen. Andy Harris, R-7-Baltimore and Harford counties, spent more than $3 million, and state Sen. E.J. Pipkin, R-36-Upper Shore, and the former incumbent, Wayne Gilchrest, each spent more than $1 million leading up to the Republican primary, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
"With the economy on the Shore like it is ... think of what you could have done," Davis said. "I think there's too much money going in and too much money coming out of the process."
Davis said he agreed to run again when asked by the Maryland Libertarian Party.
"For a totally unknown, I thought I did reasonably well last time, plus I'm still thoroughly unhappy with what the two major parties are doing," he said.
He may spend a little of his own money on travel expenses and the like, but it again won't be anywhere near the $5,000 minimum required for filing an FEC report, Davis said.
"I'm not looking to buy votes. I would rather have people voting for me because they want what I believe in and not because they happened to see an ad," he said.
Davis received 8,873 votes last time, compared to 177,065 for Kratovil and 174,213 for Harris. He didn't win the election, but he won the title of most cost-effective candidate [-] Harris' campaign spent $17.36 for each vote received and Kratovil's campaign spent $11.26 per, while Davis spent only his time.
While he's not willing to spend money on signs and stickers, Davis is willing to meet with any group interested in hearing his views. He said he's especially open to any organization that wants him to speak on a specific topic or answer questions. He can be reached at 410-943-8314 or at rjdavislp@gmail.com.
Davis believes in lower taxes and government spending (including shifting taxation on income to consumption), Congressional term limits and gradually doing away with Social Security. For more information on his views, visit davis4congress.com.
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