WYE MILLS - Congressional candidates Andy Harris and Frank Kratovil sparred over taxes, regulation and the truthfulness of advertisements yesterday in a final debate that matched the contentious tone of their relentless campaign commercials.
In the sharpest exchange, Kratovil called a Harris ad a "lie" because it contains a Kratovil quotation on the financial crisis that was later corrected by the newspaper that first reported it.
Harris stood by the ad, saying, "The quote is accurate."
The meeting between Harris, a Republican state senator from Baltimore County, and Kratovil, the Democratic state's attorney for Queen Anne's County, continued the acrimony that has characterized Maryland's most competitive race this year.
They are running for the seat now held by Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest, a moderate ousted by the conservative Harris this year in a bitterly fought Republican primary.
Hard feelings from that contest, a difficult political environment for Republicans nationwide and lots of outside money have transformed the race for what was expected to be a safe GOP seat. Maryland's 1st Congressional District joins the Eastern Shore with parts of Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Harford counties.
A win by Harris would keep the seat in the Republican column, while moving the district's representation to the right. A Kratovil victory would give Democrats their seventh of eight seats in Maryland's House delegation.
A poll last week by the Olney firm Research 2000 showed Harris leading Kratovil among likely voters, 44 percent to 40 percent - a difference that fell within the five-point margin of error. National analysts have moved the race from a likely Republican hold to a tossup.
Television viewers have been bombarded with advertisements, many paid for by outside groups, that attempt to portray both candidates as out of touch with voters.
One of those ads, by Harris, drew sharp comments from Kratovil last night.
"I'm asking you tonight whether you can tell the people here that are watching why it is you are continuing to run an ad that quotes me on something that you know I never said?" Kratovil said.
He was referring to a commercial and mailings in which the Harris campaign refers to a story in The Daily Times of Salisbury that quoted Kratovil as saying, "We solved the crisis." After reviewing a recording of the comment, the newspaper amended the line to read, in part, "... in this country we often times deal with a crisis, we solve a crisis but we don't always deal with the long term issues that led to the crisis."
