As I've mentioned in the past, Maryland has been a deep shade of "blue" since before the Civil War. Republicans have never controlled the General Assembly and have had only six governors in Annapolis during the 155-year existence of the GOP.

Despite this dismal record, and despite the greatest opportunity in decades to make significant gains at all levels of government across the state, Maryland Republicans are feuding in the press and at the ballot box.

I am not going to talk about the intra-party feud between Maryland GOP chairman Jim Pelura and his supporters and the party establishment. That topic has been covered ad naseum and I refuse to add more fuel to the fire. I will keep my own counsel on this issue; I have genuine friendships with people on both sides of this unfortunate divide, and I won't throw anyone under the bus.

I am not privy to the inner workings of the Maryland GOP; my focus is on winning my race against Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller in 2010 and bringing as many Republicans in southern Maryland into office with me as possible to help change our state's direction.

I do want to talk about the question of primaries, specifically Maryland Republicans challenging each other in contested primaries. Generally speaking, I'm not talking about local races in "red" counties or statewide races where there are plenty of Republicans to go around. I'm speaking primarily of races in the liberal strongholds of Prince George's and Montgomery counties and the city of Baltimore, challenges to firmly entrenched Democratic incumbents, and races for the U.S. Congress across the state.

In the liberal triangle, the GOP can't field viable candidates for most races because the Democrats have a hammer lock on the power structure and the hearts and minds of the people in those jurisdictions. If Republicans are challenging each other in contested primaries in these locations, the local party is committing suicide. The opportunities for public service are too numerous, and Republicans too few in number, for this to happen.

When it comes to challenging Maryland's "old guard" politicians, those who have served for decades, the GOP ought to identify the best possible candidates, encourage and support them to run against these lifetime politicians, and ask other potential Republican challengers to stand down and offer their support as well.

That's not a popular suggestion with many folks, and people are free to do what they wish when it comes to filing and running for office. Moreover, in the interest of full disclosure, I'm challenging a 38-year plus General Assembly incumbent and president of the Maryland Senate for 22 years.

Please understand I'm speaking from the perspective of a stone cold political operative whose main purpose is to "win, baby, win" - within legal and ethical boundaries, of course! A primary in this situation deprives the eventual winner of funds and time he or she would need to take on these political heavyweights.

There are those who say a primary sharpens candidates and better prepares them for the general election. I say that's an old adage that ought to be put to rest. When primary season lasts until mid-September and the general election is in early November, it's an unwelcome drain on the challenger's campaign in many respects. Why do you think one party relishes it when the other party has a contested primary? It means they are tied up and forced to spend money defending themselves rather than going after the incumbent.

That leads me to Maryland's races for the U.S. Congress. Our eight-member delegation has only one Republican, Roscoe Bartlett of the 6th Congressional District. We have the potential to reclaim the 1st District seat we lost in 2008 due to a variety of factors, not the least of which was a bruising primary which had it all: three candidates including the incumbent, the last Republican governor and lieutenant governor taking opposite sides, the Eastern Shore versus Baltimore and Harford counties, and conservatives versus moderates. Hopefully, the results - namely Frank Kratovil, a Democrat who's voted 86.1% of the time with Nancy Pelosi - will stimulate a more focused and unified effort in 2010.

Let's hope that a similar scenario doesn't play itself out in the 5th District, where Charles Lollar, a political phenom from Charles County, has chosen to challenge House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer after being declared ineligible to run for governor. Collins Bailey, the GOP challenger to Hoyer in 2008, had already announced his intention to run again, so a primary is likely unless one bows out for the other.

Hoyer is a formidable and cunning opponent who drew himself a safe district by lumping the "red" counties of Calvert and St. Mary's and the southern part of Anne Arundel County with the decidedly "blue" counties of Prince George's and, in recent years, Charles County. He has also lied with great effect to the people of St. Mary's County for years about his role in keeping open the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, the county's major economic engine. We can't afford to go into the general election fractured and feuding.

Memo to the Maryland GOP: Lower your weapons and aim them outside the circle. As Ronald Reagan said, "The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor."