State Senator Andy Harris, M.D., has been named the most likely Republican challenger to defeat a Democratic incumbent member of Congress in the midterm elections in November, according to the Washington Post's "The Fix" column.  The column can be found here and ranks Maryland's First Congressional District as the fifth most competitive district in the country and the third most likely Republican pick up opportunity in the 2010 midterm elections. 

The latest Congressional rankings enforce the momentum Andy Harris is building through a strong organization, fundraising, and grassroots support.  The campaign has received the endorsement of nearly all elected Republicans from the General Assembly that represent parts of the district and the only two Republican county executives in Maryland.   The campaign's fundraising support is overwhelmingly from Maryland voters and smaller donors.

In addition, the close race for the U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts is further proof that American voters do not support the direction Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are taking the country in and that widespread voter discontent is being seen in even the bluest of blue states.  The race between Republican State Senator Scott Brown and Democrat Attorney General Martha Coakley has dramatically tightened, with the most recent poll results released from a Democratic polling firm putting Brown ahead by five points.  The race has become a referendum on Congressional leaders, forcing Democrats to resort to last ditch efforts and typical smear campaign tactics.  The race has implications for Maryland's First Congressional District and the likelihood of an electoral revolt against the policies coming out of Washington which are being rejected even in liberal bastions like Massachusetts. 

Andy Harris' background as a doctor, U.S. Naval officer, and conservative elected official is favored among voters in the district, particularly when matched up against a Democrat that has voted with his party's liberal leadership in Congress 85 percent of the time, according to our campaign's latest internal poll.   Harris' positions like having doctors and patients making health care decisions instead of Washington bureaucrats, job creation through incentives to small businesses rather than tax increases on job creators and eliminating wasteful Washington spending and trillion dollar federal deficits is what voters in Maryland's First District want. 

These factors have clearly aided Harris' surge in the rankings of likely Republican pick up opportunities in November. 

While the campaign is well-ahead of our early projections, this should re-energize an already motivated base of Republican, Independent, and moderate to conservative Democratic voters in the District.  Our focus must remain on building our campaign structure and reaching out to every voter in Maryland's First District.  Communicating Andy Harris' qualifications and commitments to the issues that concern voters most must remain a priority.