(WASHINGTON)–Democrats running for Congress in Maryland’s 1st District are less focused on their primary opponents right now than on the incumbent they want to face in the fall – Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Harris.
There are currently four Democratic candidates running in the June party primary. They’re not talking about each other, though; they’re talking about the Republican chairman of the House Freedom Caucus.
“We have to show people that Congressman Harris does not care about them,” Democratic candidate Dan Schwartz said. “He only cares about what the president wants and his culture war, extreme policies.”
“Andy Harris is a bad representative. That’s not something that’s, like, you’re feeling. That’s fact,” said Randi White, another Democratic candidate. “Andy Harris doesn’t represent the people in Maryland 1 at all.”
In interviews with Capital News Service, neither candidate mentioned the other nor the other two candidates in the primary race.
“We’re going to convince people to vote for a more reasonable alternative to Congressman Harris,” Schwartz said. “Showing people what it’s like to have a representative who actually shows up and fights for them instead of one that hides from them.”
Yet, Harris doesn’t seem worried.
“Congressman Harris is busy representing his district. Closer to the election, he can turn his attention to the campaign,” a Harris spokesperson told CNS in an email.
Harris hasn’t faced strong competition in recent general elections. He’s held the seat on Maryland’s Eastern Shore since 2010. He first narrowly lost to Frank Kratovil in 2008, then dominated a 2010 rematch.
Harris has controlled the seat ever since. He has won his last eight elections by at least 10% more than his Democratic challenger. His largest win was 41% more than his opponent’s in 2014.
The last midterm election was his tightest win as the incumbent. In 2022, he only received 54.4% of the vote, defeating Heather Mizeur.
In 2024, Harris won a higher percentage than Trump in every county, defeating Democratic candidate Blane Miller by more than 90,000 votes.
Democrats say they have confidence in 2026 because they think Harris won’t be boosted by President Donald Trump’s name on the ballot.
Harris’s affiliation with the Trump administration without the president on the ballot was part of why Schwartz and White decided to join the race.
“Midterm years are always going to be lower turnout. He always benefits from Trump. We got to look at 2022,” White said. “The key to it is we make Andy own everything with Trump.”
Democrats also cite his status as the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus as potentially unpopular. The House Freedom Caucus is an all-Republican group“committed to fiscal discipline, limited government, and restoring accountability in Washington while advancing the liberty, safety, and prosperity of all Americans,” according to a Harris spokesperson.
Schwartz claims Harris is “uniquely more vulnerable than Donald Trump is here, and that is because of his voting record.”
“Congressman Harris is more vulnerable than he has ever been,” Schwartz said. “He’s shown that he does not work for the people of the 1st Congressional District. Instead, he works for the president.”
The other Democratic candidates are Victor Allen Guidice and George Walish. Neither responded to requests from CNS to discuss the primary.
Schwartz, 37, said his main three issues are affordability, tackling corruption and restoring consumer protection.
Schwartz has a background working for state governments. He claims to be “the only candidate that has real experience in government.” He spent 14 years working with state and federal regulators to protect consumers from financial misconduct and abuse in Washington with the Conference of State Bank Supervisors in different policy-related roles.
He says that his broad base of support could differentiate him from other candidates.
“I’ve, at this point, raised over $503,000 powered by more than 10,000 individual donations from all 50 states,” Schwartz said. “I’m the only Democratic candidate in the race who’s raising the funds necessary to run a real campaign against Congressman Harris.”
That said, White says that she is better situated to beat Harris because of her campaign strategy.
“Money doesn’t beat Andy Harris,” White said. “My opponents and everyone in the last 15 years thought it takes money to beat Andy Harris. What every candidate has done wrong is they’ve forgotten about the different communities.”
White, 42, is a former radio and TV personality. She is a Black woman who was born and raised in Salisbury. Her campaign focuses on community involvement.
White said that Democrats in the past didn’t resonate with many communities in the district, especially the Black community. Thus, many opted not to vote. She’s looking to change that.
“I’ve looked at all the data from the last 15 years, and every single time, it was bad strategy,” White said. “The real strategy is actually talking to people. None of those candidates went into communities like mine; they didn’t talk to Black people… without Black people in this community, you don’t win.”
“I’m the only candidate that can beat Andy Harris, and that’s because I’m a candidate that we haven’t tried,” White said. “I go where people are. If they’re at a bar, I’m there talking about it. We have conversations. I don’t ask political party. I just start talking.”
She said her platform focuses on three aspects: healthcare, education and the cost of living.
Both White and Schwartz are open to support regardless of party affiliation. With the district’s demographics favoring Republicans, Democrats will likely need bipartisan support to defeat Harris.
“The assumption is any Democrat can win, and that’s not the case. It should be, but it’s not,” White said. “In order to get people to come on your side as well, it’s about being authentic.”