Joe Trippi seems to be of the Woody Allen state of mind: He would never belong to a club that would have him as a member.

"Absolutely not, there is no way I'm running for office," Trippi said this afternoon via cell phone.

Joe has been incredibly busy promoting his new progressive grassroots organization, Change For America.

"I'd prefer people join Change For America, instead of speculating about me," he added.

This should end any of the rumors that Trippi would vie for the nomination left vacant by Ann Tamlyn. She recently pulled out of the race for Congress in Maryland's first district.

I ran Harry Sampson's campaign for that spot and see him as the best chance to beat Wayne Gilchrest.

Sampson is a moderate Democrat, the kind who would sit well with Eastern Shore voters, since they tend to be fairly socially conservative.

When asked about the Trippi gossip, Sampson said, "Joe is a genius, I'd love to have him on my campaign."

While that seems unlikely, given how busy Trippi is with CFA, Sampson did echo my thoughts exactly. "I hope Trippi campaigns for whoever ends up getting the nomination," he said.

Yeah, Trippi, remember: All politics are local.