Ah, the Republican base.

Walter C. Abbott Jr. has sent e-mails from time to time to the governor and state legislators complaining about losing construction work to illegal immigrants.

He never received anything but a form-letter type response.

This week, the 44-year-old Parkville man added something extra to his e-mail: a threat to strangle Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Within five hours, three Maryland state troopers responded to the e-mail. Abbott was arrested Tuesday and charged with threatening a public official.

He was being held Thursday night at the Baltimore County Detention Center on $2 million bail.