"This is certainly an unusual event, and the state Democratic Party and Kratovil are going to have to work very hard if they expect it to be repeated two years from now," he said.
Harris, who trailed Kratovil by 915 votes after Election Day, had hoped to make up the difference when absentee and provisional ballots were opened. But when counting began last week, Kratovil's lead grew.
The conservative Harris helped make Kratovil's victory possible by defeating the moderate Gilchrest in a bitterly fought Republican primary earlier this year.
Harris was backed in the primary by former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a Republican who received 67 percent of the vote in the district in 2006. Ehrlich declined yesterday to comment on the outcome and its potential impact on his political future.
Harris had also enjoyed the support of the anti-tax Club for Growth, which spent $1.8 million in the district that combines the Eastern Shore with parts of Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Harford counties.
With Gilchrest out of the way, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added Kratovil to its Red to Blue program for Democratic challengers in Republican districts and poured more than $2 million into the 1st District.
The candidates themselves raised more than $4 million, fueling a contentious campaign. A Harris television advertisement called Kratovil "clueless, liberal and very wrong." A Kratovil spot declared: "Andy Harris, his ideas are just way out there."
Kratovil ran up large margins on the Eastern Shore to negate Harris' advantage on the western side of the Chesapeake. He ran as a pro-environment moderate in the mold of Gilchrest, who crossed party lines to endorse and campaign for him.
Gilchrest said yesterday that he is "very proud and pleased" that Kratovil would be representing the district. He said voters had chosen "a candidate that has tolerance and moderation, prudence and reason."
Kratovil has two years to convince constituents that they made the right decision.
"This is a historically tough district for Democrats," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Montgomery County, who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "Which means that he will be working from Day One to reach out to all parts of this district. He understands that people will be watching his record and holding him accountable."
Van Hollen said Kratovil would be a candidate for the committee's Frontline program, which directs money and advice to vulnerable incumbents.
