House Races: MD-01

This is the first in a series of posts on House races, which often get neglected in favor of the presidential and senate races.

Here’s a quick recap on the race in Maryland's first district. The incumbent is a GOP centrist, Wayne Gilchrest. He faced a tough primary where his opponent, state Sen. Andy Harris and outside groups attacked him from the right. The challenger, Harris, won the GOP primary.

The district is heavily Republican but there is quite a bit of bitterness lingering from the divisive primary. Some of the incumbent Wayne Gilchrest’s longtime staff members joined the Democratic challenger Kratovil’s campaign instead of rallying behind the winner of the GOP primary. Today, Gilchrest himself endorsed Kratovil instead of the GOP nominee. Whether the incumbent’s endorsement helps Kratovil in November remains to be seen but the race will likely be tight.

The drama aside, this race provides another example of the steady decline of GOP moderates in the House, a trend that is helping the Democrats make gains in the suburban areas.