Maryland state Sen. Andrew Harris said Tuesday that he would run for the congressional seat in Maryland’s 1st District, setting up a rematch with Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil in the traditionally Republican area.
In 2008, Kratovil became the first Democrat in 18 years to win the seat. He defeated Harris by fewer than 3,000 votes of more than 350,000 cast. Libertarian candidate Richard Davis, who has indicated that he also will run again, won 2.5 percent of the vote.
2008 results
Candidate Party Votes Percentage
Frank Kratovil Democratic 177,065 49.1%
Andrew Harrris Republican 174,213 48.3%
Richard Davis Libertarian 8,873 2.5%
Source: Maryland State Board of Elections
The National Republican Congressional Committee has put the district in the “top echelon” of vulnerable seats for the Democrats, said spokesman Andy Sere. “We’re pretty confident” that Harris will win, Sere said.
Maryland’s 1st District is indeed one of the top Republican targets for 2010, said Thomas Schaller, associate professor of American politics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
“It … makes sense to go after [Kratovil] when Obama’s not on the ballot,” he said.
Harris’ announcement “doesn’t really strike us as news,” said Kevin Lawlor, a spokesman for the representative. Lawlor said Kratovil would continue to travel to the district, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and in parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Harford counties, to let his constituents know about the work he was doing in Washington.
“It’s a matter of making sure that his message is getting out,” Lawlor said.
Kratovil’s voting record on major legislation thus far reflects the politically diverse Eastern Shore district. He voted for a climate change bill in June that was highly unpopular among Republicans, but was also one of 39 House Democrats who voted against the high-profile health care bill in November.
Another Maryland Democrat facing an uphill climb in 2010 is Gov. Martin O’Malley, who is also running for re-election. Just 39 percent of voters want to see O’Malley re-elected, according to a November poll by the nonpartisan Clarus Research Group.
The incumbent governor, who has had to cut more than $1 billion from the state budget since last summer, could face challengers from both sides. George Owings III, a Democrat who served in Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich’s administration, was planning to announce on Wednesday that he would challenge O’Malley in the Democratic primary. Ehrlich himself, the state’s only Republican governor since Spiro Agnew,also is weighing a gubernatorial run.
