Sounds like Andy's running. Now what?

Already we have reaction from the Gilchrest camp. From the Sun yesterday:

Of Harris, (Gilchrest chief of staff Tony) Caliguiri said, "Anyone's entitled to run for office, but we don't believe his brand of extremist politics will appeal to Maryland voters."

So being in favor of "fiscal responsibility, a strong national defense, traditional values, and an optimistic view of this country and its role as a world leader" is extremist? I'll take these one at a time.

First of all, don't forget the the bill that got Gilchrest his moniker as a "white flag Republican" also held over $25 billion in pork that wasn't coming back to our district. And he's not done a whole lot to stop the increasing budgets and earmarks eminating from Washington - in that respect he's a true back-bencher.

So Gilchrest has done little in the respect of either fiscal responsibility or a strong national defense, because I consider the Long War as one strategy in defending our nation against a serious threat. Obviously, Gilchrest differs in his opinion, and that's his right. But that stance may cost him at the ballot box among Eastern Shore voters.

But one thing I'd like to know about Harris is whether he feels as I do that as much (if not more) diligence should be paid to solving problems by getting the government out of the way and allowing the private sector a crack at them. One example is Gilchrest's support of stricter CAFE standards for automobiles.

Obviously Detroit was behind the curve a bit on creating fuel-efficient cars, but the market is in the process of correcting itself without government help. However, some may prefer a larger vehicle for their purposes and if CAFE standards are stricter, there may be fewer choices for those consumers. It's an example of government sticking its nose where it doesn't belong, and there's countless other restrictions that are supposedly for our own good but instead drive up prices and eliminate options needlessly.

I found the coverage of Harris's announcement interesting too. Based on the e-mail I received from the Maryland GOP, they found four outlets that featured this story, which didn't include local coverage here in Salisbury. The Baltimore Sun, Examiner, and Daily Times simply used an AP story, with the Daily Times burying it on Page C-2 of today's paper. Meanwhile, the Gazette featured it as part of their "Reporters Notebook" section, which is understandable because their coverage area mainly lies outside the 1st District.

In this case I have to give kudos to the Cecil Whig, where reporter Cheryl Mattix did a great indepth article on the Senator and his announcement, going so far as to actually contact Harris for his thoughts on running. It's interesting how two of the major papers in the district differ in their coverage based on personnel.

And while it's not our side of the state, I found out that both Maryland GOP congressmen will draw a primary opponent. Onetime Cumberland mayor and perennial candidate Frank Nethken will oppose 6th District stalwart Roscoe Bartlett. A Sun article is here. But Harris has to be considered as a more likely victor than Nethken.

One point brought up by Cato at Delmarva Dealings is the possiblilty of a third (or fourth, etc.) spoiler in the race, someone who jumps in and splits the conservative vote enabling Gilchrest to squeak by. A name brought up is E.J. Pipkin, who ran an unsuccessful statewide race against Barbara Mikulski in 2004, which despite being a losing effort did give him a little more name recognition. Also, Pipkin represents an area actually on the Eastern Shore whereas Harris hails from Baltimore County.

Oddly enough, while the First District is thought of as solidly Republican and Eastern Shore, redistricting and demographics make it a district split almost evenly between Democrats and Republicans as far as registration goes, and only about 5 out of 8 voters live in the nine counties comprising the Eastern Shore. If you split out Cecil County, which straddles both sides of the northern terminus of Chesapeake Bay, it's about half-and-half between Eastern and Western Shore voters. Last year's Democrat nominee, Dr. Jim Corwin, is a Western Shore denizen but he still defeated an Eastern Shore resident in that primary.

It's going to make for an interesting race, one that may yet bear national attention as the months drag on toward Election 2008.