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Democrats started their long-anticipated television ads this week attacking the record of Republican Sen. Andy Harris in the race for the 1st Congressional District.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has reserved $1.4 million in airtime on broadcast stations and cable over the next six weeks. The ad blitz started Monday with a $168,000 buy for a spot criticizing votes against expanding health care coverage by Harris, a Johns Hopkins Hospital anesthesiologist who specializes in obstetrical care.
“Is Andy Harris lonely?” the ad asks, adding that “Andy Harris stood alone” in opposing a bill to make insurance companies cover services by nurse midwives. The ad also points to a vote against a bill mandating coverage of colorectal cancer screening, while Harris has taken $400,000 from insurance and health care interests for his congressional race.
The Harris campaign was heavily funded by fellow anesthesiologists from around the country. Harris faces Democrat Frank Kratovil, the Queen Anne’s County state’s attorney, in the race, after having defeated incumbent Wayne Gilchrest, who has now endorsed Kratovil.
Harris campaign manager Chris Meekins pointed to Harris’ service as a physician at Hopkins and in the Naval Reserves. “His commitment to and record of providing the highest-quality affordable health care to all Marylanders is clearly second to none,” Meekins said.
“Desperate Frank Kratovil and his liberal partisan Washington cronies are trying to mislead the public to draw attention away from the hundreds of thousands of dollars he has taken from trial lawyers,” who drive up health care costs with lawsuits, Meekins said.
Kratovil’s race has been targeted by the DCCC, which conducted a poll earlier this month showing the contest as a dead heat, 36 percent to 36 percent, with 25 percent undecided.
“The poll showed that this is a district Democrats can win,” said Carrie James, a spokesman for the committee.
Meekins disputed the poll results, saying it was “a push poll” preceded by negative questions about Harris. But James said the questions about Harris did not push voters to back his opponent.
“We’re very pleased that the DCCC is helping us out,” Kratovil spokesman Kevin Lawlor said. “Frank is the right person to represent this district. Essentially, Andy Harris has been a poor legislator.”
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