2.5 months out, Kratovil races to catch up to GOP
By Greg Latshaw
Staff Writer-DelMarva Now
SALISBURY — Deemed a long shot by political analysts, Democrat Frank Kratovil faces an uphill battle for Maryland’s 1st District that he says is less steep as the election approaches.
Kratovil claimed endorsements from the Democratic National Congressional Committee on June 18, the democratic Blue Dog Coalition on Aug. 7 and, most recently, the League of Conservation Voters on Thursday.
The Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney will square off Nov. 4 with Republican nominee Andy Harris, a state senator in Baltimore and Harford counties who because of a heated primary battle has raised more, spent more and campaigned more.
Kratovil portrays himself as moderate and Harris, a practicing anesthesiologist, calls himself a true conservative. The race is heating up, as both candidates launched TV advertisements in the Salisbury market in the past week-and-a-half. Both vow the Baltimore area is next.
Harris reported overall receipts of $2 million compared to $811,000 for Kratovil in the most recent campaign filing with the Federal Election Commission through June 30. But Harris reported having $609,000 of cash on hand compared to Kratovil’s $454,000, a difference inflated some by a loan of $100,000 that Harris made to his campaign.
The next filing results will be released Oct. 15.
“We know Kratovil will start making up some ground, but we don’t know if it’s enough,” said Creston Long, co-director of Salisbury University’s Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement.
Long said the fundraising gap is not insurmountable. He pointed to former backers of U.S. representative Wayne Gilchrest, a nine-term incumbent who Harris defeated Feb. 12 in the primary, as potentially crossing party lines to vote for Kratovil. One former Gilchrest aide, Karen Willis, has joined a group called Republicans for Kratovil.
“That’s a wildcard,” Long said. “What will the Gilchrest supporters do?”
Another added wrinkle to the campaigns is the presidential election between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barrack Obama. The 1st District, which includes the entire Eastern Shore and parts of Baltimore city and county, Anne Arundel and Harford counties, voted heavily for President Bush in the 2004 election.
“If there are new voters coming out to vote for Obama, will they also vote for Kratovil?” said Harry Basehart, cofounder of PACE at SU and professor emeritus of political science.
Harris’ TV spot came first, on Aug. 6, and featured his energy plan. Harris said that while Congress has done little to lower gas prices, he favors domestic fuel alternative energy like wind, solar and biofuel, and more conservation.
The advertisement does not touch upon Harris’ support of nuclear power, increasing oil refinery production and drilling offshore for oil.
Kratovil launched a TV ad Friday that introduces his background as a prosecutor and also focuses on cracking down on illegal immigration and cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay.
“A lot of voters still don’t know Frank and who he is,” said his campaign manager, Tim McCann.
Additionally, more national backing from democratic groups will likely boost Kratovil’s fundraising totals.
The Blue Dog Coalition is a 49-member group of House Democrats that emphasize fiscal conservatism. The group can donate a maximum $5,000 donation from the group’s PAC and encourage its members to donate to the Democratic candidate.
Kratovil said after the endorsement reducing wasteful spending and developing a practical energy plan are higher on his list of concerns than voting among party lines.
“I admire their willingness to set partisanship aside and work across party lines to tackle tough budget issues,” he said. “That’s the kind of Congressman I plan to be for the 1st District.”
Carrie James, a spokeswoman for the DCCC, said the red-to-blue program will select competitive races across the country and offer support through finances, strategy and communication.
“We added Frank Kratovil to the Red to Blue program because he has assembled a strong campaign with impressive grassroots and finance operations, and he has demonstrated that he represents a new direction for Maryland,” James said.
Chris Meekins, Harris’ campaign manager, said his candidate has a proven record in the senate that favors smart spending and fights earmarks.
Harris has already received endorsements from former Gov. Robert Ehrlich and Republican state delegates and local officials.
“Campaigning has been nonstop,” Meekins said. “We’re staying on pace.”
The most recent poll by Harris’ campaign indicates that he has a 16-point lead over Kratovil, with about 44 percent of voters favoring him and 28 percent going to Kratovil.
Additionally, the poll by Harris’ campaign found that about one-fourth of voters had not heard of Kratovil.
Kratovil, who on Thursday visited a biodiesel plant in Berlin, said his campaign efforts are hampered some by his job as a state’s attorney.
Assigning cases to a staff of seven assistant state’s attorneys, Kratovil says he has a backlog of cases involving illegal immigrants charged with crimes.
“We shouldn’t have to be dealing with this if we did our job in enforcing immigration,” Kratovil said.
Basehart said while Kratovil is a threat to claim the seat long held by the republicans, the 1st District favors Harris.
“Betting money is probably on Harris to win,” he said.
Word On The Shore 