Harris rising through state's sparse GOP ranks

Congressman is Maryland's top-ranking official in Tampa

And his Democratic opponent this year, Baltimore County businesswoman Wendy Rosen, has argued for months that Harris has veered so far right that he no longer represents the largely centrist Republican voters that make up his district and much of Maryland. As a member of the unusually powerful Republican freshmen class in the House, Harris has pursued an anti-regulation agenda.

"Harris has consistently taken political positions that put him at odds with environmentalists, women, and seniors," said Rebecca Scott, Rosen's campaign manager, in a statement. "This extremism is well documented both in his time in D.C. and his time in Annapolis."

Still, Harris beat incumbent Democrat Frank Kratovil in 2010 by a 12 percentage-point margin.

"He's articulate, he's good-looking, he's mature and he's not a neophyte," said Audrey Scott, a former state GOP chairwoman who also is a convention delegate for Romney. "He's a wonderful representative for the party."

Baltimore Sun reporter Matthew Hay Brown contributed to this article.

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