Gerlach maintains the upper hand, to be sure, as his name recognition and the power of incumbency work in his favor. That said, 2010 has already proven to be a volatile election year in which things once thought impossible have become reality, such as the election of Republican Scott Brown to the Massachusetts senate seat long held by Teddy Kennedy.
While the 6th District will not see that same level of drama, it is a given that Gerlach will not have an easy road in either the primary or general election. There are several issues he must face that could prove troublesome to his reelection effort, but all pale in comparison to where the congressman actually stands on the Employee Free Choice Act, known as Card Check.
An extremely explosive issue, Card Check legislation is strongly backed by labor unions and would, among other provisions, eliminate the secret ballot in union elections. Card Check is such a make-or-break topic for a huge number of Republicans that this issue alone could be enough to topple an incumbent.
According to the AFL-CIO website, Gerlach, along with former GOP colleagues Curt Weldon and Mike Fitzpatrick, all signed on as sponsors of Card Check in 2006. However, the Gerlach campaign denies that he favors Card Check, pointing to his vote in 2007 against the bill.
But in this environment, playing coy and stretching the truth could put an incumbent on the unemployment line very quickly.
Many political experts believe that these three Republicans "played games" in 2005 and 2006, deciding to take both sides. Figuring that the GOP would be in power for decades (a woefully short-sighted outlook), Gerlach and Company thought that they could appease Big Labor by signing onto a bill that would never see the light of day.
Which was correct, for about another year, until Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats were swept into power.
His 2007 vote against Card Check has done little to mollify conservatives, who continue to think Gerlach’s heart leans toward Labor.
They were not appeased by his vote because common sense and political reality dictate that, on a bill as controversial as Card Check, most Republicans would not break with their Party to support a core Democratic issue high on the agenda of Speaker Pelosi ---and Barack Obama.
That's a far cry from being convinced that Gerlach can be counted on to oppose organized labor's anti-business agenda.
Hear more:
Link to 1520 WCHE radio's Political Talk, in which hosts Mike Pincus and I interview Congressman Gerlach on Card Check and other issues:
