Chestertown, MD—Today, former Congressman Wayne Gilchrest announced he has endorsed John LaFerla for Congress in Maryland’s 1^st District.

“It is vital that we elect a leader who puts our District ahead of political extremism. That is why I am endorsing John LaFerla for Congress. He is our best chance of defeating Andy Harris this Fall, “ said Gilchrest.

John LaFerla said, “I am proud to have the endorsement of our former Congressman. He always put the needs of our district ahead of politics. When I’m elected to Congress, I hope to continue his legacy of protecting the Bay and working with people throughout our community to promote common sense values in Washington.”

John LaFerla is a Democratic candidate for Congress in Maryland’s 1^st District. He is a resident of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where he has practiced Obstetrics and Gynecology for more than a decade. His home is in Kent County and his private office is in Queen Anne’s County. He also sees patients at clinics in Caroline County and practices Public Health in Talbot.

Washington, DC – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, announced that her organization’s political action committee endorsed Dr. John LaFerla, a physician who is running against an anti-choice incumbent in Maryland’s 1st District.

“I am proud to be endorsed by NARAL Pro Choice America PAC. I’ve spent much of my adult life providing vital health care services to women. Many of these services are now under attack by Andy Harris and other extremists in Congress. I look forward to working with NARAL Pro Choice America to protect reproductive health care for women in the 1st District of Maryland and across America,” said Dr. LaFerla, MD, MPH.

Keenan said voters in Maryland’s 1st District could count on Dr. LaFerla to be an unwavering and effective advocate for women’s freedom and privacy. In 2011, the House held eight votes on choice-related issues, the highest number in more than a decade. The district’s incumbent, Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), voted anti-choice on every vote, earning a zero-percent rating in NARAL Pro-Choice America Congressional Record on Choice.

“Dr. LaFerla has dedicated his life to providing health-care services to women,” Keenan said. “Andy Harris is following the lead of politicians who are practicing medicine without a license. That’s why it is important that we have physicians like Dr. LaFerla in Congress who can speak to the need to protect the doctor-patient relationship. We will mobilize our members in support of his candidacy and remind voters in Eastern Maryland why they must act on their pro-choice values by electing Dr. LaFerla to Congress.”

For more information about NARAL Pro-Choice America’s electoral work, please visit www.ProChoiceAmerica.org/Elections

Contact: Ted Miller 202.973.3032

Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC, www.prochoiceamerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

(download full letter)

Here is our latest mail piece.  In it we discuss how Andy Harris and his friends are waging a war on women.  I am running for Congress because we need common sense leadership that will put the health of women ahead of extreme, partisan politics.

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I am running for Congress because we need leadership that is always on our side. We need leadership that will work every day to create good-paying jobs in all parts of our district. Instead, our current representative seems far more interested in playing extreme partisan politics than in finding real solutions to our economic problems. In Congress, I’ll cross party lines to get our economy moving again.

We all know the economy on the Eastern Shore needs a healthy Chesapeake Bay to have a vibrant economy. Yet Andy Harris consistently sides with the biggest polluters instead of taking concrete, bipartisan steps to protect our Bay. In Congress, I will side with our local economy and crack down on those who pollute our Bay.

I am running for Congress because Washington is broken. When Members of Congress seem far more interested in scoring political points than in finding real, common sense solutions to the problems facing our nation and our community America loses. When Members of Congress like Andy Harris are more interested in pursuing extreme partisan politics than common sense solutions, our district loses. Together, we can bring back common sense and solutions that put our country, not ideology first. I hope you will join my campaign. Together, we can make a real difference for the 1^st District.