With the primary elections over, winners are gearing up for the general election and losers are going back to private life and thinking of next time – all but one, that is. Sen. John Giannetti’s decision to switch his party registration and run as a Republican after losing the Democratic primary caught many by surprise. While it is a truism the world over that politicians are dishonest, there is a very real code of professional behavior; part of that code is party loyalty. Now, this is not to say people can’t change their party – they often do, and for a variety of reasons. But to flip at the eleventh hour with no previous warning is very hard to accept as a “life change” or crisis of the conscience. It smells foully of naked opportunism and it will be awfully hard for Senator Giannetti to change that perception.

I confess that not everyone agrees with me. Some people say this is a smart move that keeps Giannetti in the picture and gives him a chance to come back and win, thereby keeping his seat. After all, look at Sen. Joe Lieberman’s (D-Conn.) decision after losing the primary to run as an independent: He is leading in the polls and might just win by turning out moderates and undecided voters to balance the liberal base that rejected him. I say, “Dream on.” Frankly, in Giannetti’s case, I am inclined to agree with a party official who told The (Baltimore) Sun that Giannetti ‘s political career is “essentially over.” After all, let’s not kid ourselves with comparisons. Lieberman said upfront, months before the primary, that he would change his registration if he lost; Giannetti announced it two days ago as the Republican party was shouldering aside the previous hopeful to make room for him. Lieberman moved into the independent column while Giannetti has gone all the way across that red/blue line – a crime of epic proportions from the viewpoint of party activists and donors. Maryland, unlike Connecticut, has a so-called “sore loser” law which specifically prohibits people from running in the general election if they lose the primary. Giannetti is exploiting a shady loophole by using the Republican party’s willingness to clear a spot for him in exchange for his party registration. Finally, unlike Ned Lamont, who eked out a skin-of-his-teeth victory over Lieberman, Jim Rosapepe positively trounced Giannetti in the primary, making one wonder why Giannetti thinks he can win in round two. Rosapepe beat the senator with 59 percent of the vote to Giannetti’s 38, the kind of drubbing that is supposed to make you go home and cry in bed. While I applaud the determination Giannetti has shown in trying to bounce back, his tactical approach is woefully off the mark. Registration in District 21 is overwhelmingly Democratic, and it seems unlikely Giannetti could beat Rosapepe in the general election, even if he got every single vote he received two weeks ago as well as the Republican vote – a dim prospect. So what are they thinking? The Republican party could be looking forward to getting a higher percentage of the vote in this district than it has in the last 50 years. As for Giannetti, I honestly couldn’t say.

The irony is that political junkies like myself have long joked about Giannetti, asking each other when he was going to switch his party registration – after all, he has always been a little conservative for the district. He voted against the ban on assault weapons and had to be browbeaten by the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League before he voted for last year’s stem cell bill. Still, I can’t say I ever thought it would really happen. This has the serious potential to raise questions with the voters: Was Giannetti a Democrat only so he could survive in this liberal district? Rosapepe made a very insightful comment on this situation, saying that he thought it was important for politicians to be consistent in their positions and alignments so that constituents know they can trust them. This will not play well amongst those people who stood by Giannetti, believing he really represented them in a principled way.

At the end of the day, indignation and bemusement aside, this is just the story of a man so blinded by his ambition and ego that he was incapable of losing with a little dignity. I once had great esteem for Senator Giannetti, and I am sad to see him end his career in such an ignominious fashion.

Devin Ellis is a graduate student in the School of Public Affairs and is director of academic affairs for the system student council. He can be reached at ellis.devin@gmail.com.