Vovak Statement On Death Of Former-Senator Mac Mathias

BETHESDA, MARYLAND – It was sad for me to hear today of the passing of Senator "Mac" Mathias, who was the last living Republican to serve in the U.S. Senate in Maryland, with his long senate term being from 1969 – 1987. He was succeeded in death by Senator John Glenn Beall, Jr. (1971 – 1977), a Republican who died in 2006.

I was privileged to speak with Senator Mathias on a handful of occasions, with each a memory I still cherish. His desire to reach out to young Republicans remained steadfast, though his grip on current issues was consistent with a man who had been retired for over two decades. A distinct memory I still have was his fondness for Senator Barbara Mikulski, who gave a spirited challenge to him in her election loss in 1974. He liked her and would probably have endorsed her in 2010, which dissuaded me from entering the U.S. Senate contest. Mathias was clearly a man of bi-partisanship and compromise, with his last major public statement being the 2008 endorsement of now-President Barack Obama. I look forward to tomorrow when all Marylanders will hear kind words about him from Senator Barbara Mikulski, Senator Ben Cardin, Chairwoman Audrey Scott, and Representative Chris van Hollen.

Daniel "The Whig Man" Vovak lives in Bethesda, Maryland, and is a resident of Maryland's Eighth Congressional District. He can be contacted at 202-367-4835 or DanielVovak@gmail.com.