Sixth District Republican Congressman Roscoe Bartlett picked up an endorsement on Wednesday from a Democrat. Former Mississippi Congressman Gene Taylor was in Frederick to urge voters to re-elect Bartlett for another term.

Even though the two men come from different political parties, Taylor said Bartlett has crossed the aisle many times to do what is right for the country, especially for those serving in the armed forces. "There is one who I can never recall putting what was best for his party above what is best for our nation," he says.

Taylor served in Congress from 1989 to 2011, representing Mississippi's 4th District, which is majority Republican. Information on Wikipedia says although a Democrat, Taylor often sided against his party's leadership on a number of issues. In 1998, he voted in favor of all four articles of impeachment against then-President Bill Clinton. He did not support Clinton's re-election in 1996, but refused to switch parties, despite numerous requests from Republicans.
But Taylor did vote against the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003, claiming they would increase the national debt.

Taylor lost in 2010 to Republican Steven Palazzo. Despite being a conservative, the GOP tied Taylor to Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

During his time in the House of Representatives, Taylor worked with Bartlett to ensure that soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan were protected against IED's. They called for the Mine Resistant Ambush Vehicles, instead of Humvees. "It took somebody like Roscoe {Bartlett} to buck his own White House, to buck his own Department of Defense to say that we're not going to let these kids die needlessly, we're not going to let these kids lose their limbs needlessly," he says.

Congressman Bartlett was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1992, and has been re-elected every two years since then. But in this election, he's facing a strong challenge from Democrat John Delaney in a contest made more competitive by redistricting.

So will Taylor's endorsement make a difference in the race, Bartlett was asked. "I hope it makes a difference. There are a lot of Democrats out there," he responded.

"I can't win without Democrat votes," says Bartlett. "I'm really honored that a Democrat is coming here and saying 'Gee, it's okay for Democrats to vote for Bartlett,'" he says.

Election day is Tuesday, November 6th, but early voting starts on Saturday, October, 27th.