Fight in the First

The primary defeats in February of two of Maryland's eight U.S. House incumbents raised many eyebrows nationally. Congressional incumbents rarely lose, and when they do it's usually in the general election. State Sen. Andy Harris' 10-point victory over nine-term incumbent Wayne T. Gilchrest in the 1st District's Republican primary has set up a doozy of an open-seat race between him and Democratic nominee Frank M. Kratovil Jr.

An unapologetic moderate, Mr. Gilchrest was overwhelmed by the self-described "true conservative" Mr. Harris, who hails from eastern Baltimore County in the increasingly powerful west side of the district's Chesapeake Bay area. Mr. Harris' campaign Web site features an endorsement from Colorado-based evangelical leader and "family values" advocate James Dobson, and he received significant financial backing during the primary from the anti-tax Club for Growth.

Mr. Kratovil, 39, is a strong candidate for the Democrats, who over the years have fielded a few lackluster challengers in the 1st District. The state's attorney from Queen Anne's County, Mr. Kratovil is a husband and father of four sons who could have fallen out of a Norman Rockwell painting. The r?sum? and the visuals are all there.

The wild card in the race could be Mr. Gilchrest, and there are hints that he is sympathetic toward Mr. Kratovil. Lynn Caligiuri, the Kratovil campaign's finance director, is a former campaign and finance director for Mr. Gilchrest, and the wife of Tony Caligiuri, the congressman's chief of staff.

Congressman Gilchrest has thus far not endorsed anyone, and Mr. Caligiuri confirms that his boss plans to lie low until at least Labor Day, and may remain on the sidelines throughout.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the bay, Team Harris exudes confidence, some of which derives from the fact that it has the endorsement of an ex-governor whose popularity in the district remains high.

Republican Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., still nursing a grudge with Mr. Gilchrest because his former House colleague opposed then-Governor Ehrlich's slots proposal, endorsed Mr. Harris in the GOP primary. Mr. Ehrlich's support in the district remains very strong. It includes parts of Baltimore and Harford counties that he once represented in Congress and that supported him in his gubernatorial runs.