Dana Dembrow was elected to a District 20 House seat in 1986 and spent many years fighting with the rest of his delegation, which included Senator Ida Ruben and Delegates Sheila Hixson and Peter Franchot. All three wanted him gone, but they could not figure out how to get rid of him. Finally, Dembrow committed a critical mistake: he was arrested for hitting his wife. Right before the primary,