Charles Lollar, 38, is hoping to upset House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer’s 28-year hold on Maryland’s 5th Congressional District by running for Congress in 2010.
Unseating a 28-year veteran will be no small task but Lollar, a former marine and father of four, says he’s up for the challenge.
Lollar said that because Hoyer has been in Congress for 28 years, he has not only forgotten about the people in the district but also the reasons why he was elected in the first place.
“There is something wrong with a congressman who represents Prince George’s County, but doesn’t even come to Prince George’s County, doesn’t give town hall meetings in Prince George’s County, takes advantage of our vote, and spends more time out of the state than in the state,” said Lollar. “You have to spend time in the county to make a difference.”
Mykel Harris, chairman of the Prince George’s County Republican Central Committee, said, “The conventional wisdom says that Hoyer cannot be beaten, just like the conventional wisdom says that David couldn’t beat Goliath. The reality is that even given Hoyer’s long term of service – and his very powerful position in Congress – he has been the captain of a ship that is deliberately steering toward a financial iceberg,” he said.
Prince George’s County holds a significant portion of the 5th congressional district votes. Historically, Hoyer has consistently won over Prince George’s County by large percentages in the general elections. In 2008, Hoyer won with 73.6 percent of the total votes.
“It is a benefit to the county to have someone in Congress at such a high level as the second-ranking person in Congress behind the speaker of the house as the majority leader,” said Terry Speigner, chairman of the Prince George’s Democrats. “That brings an immense amount of value not only to Maryland, but to district five and Prince George’s County.”
So far there are only officially two candidates running: Democrat Thomas Deflbaugh Sr., and Republican Collins A. Bailey, who ran against Hoyer in the last congressional election.
Lollar said he is running because he is concerned about the direction in which the country is headed.
One of his chief concerns is government spending. “We are running a $9 to $10 trillion dollar deficit, we’re trying to push a lot of dollars through to programs without stabilizing our economy, and our dollars are being weakened on the international front,” said Lollar.
He said the country needs to balance its budget. “I think if you ask anyone how important it is to only spend what you have and not more that, I think you would get complete agreement from everyone,” said Lollar.
Lollar said he is against abortion rights, same-sex marriages and in favor of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. He does not support Obama’s health-care reform policy and says that the government should focus more on immigration policies.
The Charles County resident and father of four, is the general manager for Cintas Corporation in Landover.
“The arrogance of Congress is out of control,” said Lollar. “I am concerned because I refuse to go out of this country and fight for my country just to come home and lose my country; I am just not going to do it.” His first officer assignment in combat was in Kosovo, in the Bosnia area, where he spent six months to a year away from his family.
Some people do not believe Lollar is right person for Congress. “What we don’t need in a congressman is someone who has the same ideal and platforms that George Bush had and that’s what Charles Lollar represents,” said Speigner. “Some of the same arguments we heard for the last eight years that put us in this situation that Obama’s trying to dig us out of.”
Lollar was born on the Yakama Indian Reservation in Washington state. He obtained his associate’s degree from Emory University, his bachelor’s degree in political science from Kennesaw State University, and an MBA from Regents University in Virginia. He met his wife Rosha while attending Emory University.