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James Shalleck, the Republican candidate for Montgomery county executive, was recently approached by a woman at a campaign stop who felt compelled to explain why she would never support him.

She said she wouldnt vote for me because of Ted Cruzs position on immigration, he said, referring to the Republican senator from Texas who opposes amnesty for undocumented immigrants.

I said, What do you want from me? Shalleck recalled, his exasperated tone still rich with the intonations of his native New York.

Shalleck, who will face two-term incumbent Isiah Leggett (D) on Nov. 4, has been at the bottom of this mountain before. Since 1994, hes run three times for states attorney and once for judge in a county where registered Democrats have a 3-to-1 advantage over Republicans. The last time a GOP county executive held office was 1978.

Montgomerys more moderate Republicans also suffer from the countys location in Washingtons back yard, where they must contend with what Shalleck calls the echo of positions taken by national party figures such as Cruz.

But Shalleck, 68, relishes his seemingly perennial candidacy. The long odds include Leggetts fundraising edge. Shalleck has $2,400 cash on hand, compared with Leggetts $425,000, according to the most recent state filings.

At times, Shalleck, who spent 12 years as a prosecutor in the Bronx, can sound more like a Democrat than the real ones he debated during the primary season (he ran unopposed in his party).

He talks about spending on the big-vision stuff to give the county a stronger identity: a four-year university, a minor league baseball team, Arena football and maybe a venue that would save families a trip to the District to watch their children graduate from high school.

I had to schlep to the DAR Hall to see my kids graduate, Shalleck told an audience this year. It takes two hours, and you get a $60 parking ticket because youre running late.

The son of a Democratic lawyer, he was a member of that party until 1989, when he moved to Washington to join the Justice Departments antitrust division at the beginning of George H.W. Bushs presidency.

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Shalleck, Republican Montgomery executive candidate, faces uphill battle