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Rep. Andy Harris (R) and his Democratic challenger, Heather Mizeur, engaged in a rollicking debate in Cecil County on Wednesday, trading blows in the first 鈥� and likely only 鈥� one-on-one encounter that voters in the 1st congressional district will get.
Mizeur said Harris, a six-term incumbent, has been an ineffective legislator 鈥� 鈥渁 lot of talk and no action鈥� 鈥� and asserted that he has been a divisive force in U.S. politics. She accused him of shifting his views on abortion on the eve of the election to moderate his image. And she blasted him for participating in a meeting with President Trump and other Republican lawmakers in late 2020.
鈥淵ou were one of 10 members of Congress, sitting in the Trump White House鈥� having conversations about how to overthrow a democratically elected (president),鈥� Mizeur charged. 鈥淭hat makes you unfit to serve.鈥�
Harris refused to say what was discussed at the meeting, only that he took great pride in being a son of immigrants who was invited to the Oval Office. According to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, the then-president and his senior officials聽聽a plan to 鈥渆ncourage members of the public to fight the outcome on January 6.鈥�
Pressed by reporters after the debate, Harris declined to discuss the meeting in detail, for fear of providing fodder for the Jan. 6 committee. 鈥淲e did not plot an insurrection,鈥� he said. Harris pushed back on a reporter鈥檚 use of the word 鈥渋nsurrection.鈥� He called the bloody, hours-long battle at the Capitol 鈥渁 protest gone awry.鈥�
Harris portrayed Mizeur, a former state legislator from Montgomery County, as a tax-approving liberal who would advocate for more federal spending. He said Mizeur would back Nancy Pelosi for speaker if Democrats retain the House of Representatives. A Republican takeover, he pledged, would result in safer streets and a more secure Southern border, with less fentanyl and fewer 鈥渋llegal aliens鈥� entering the country.
He added that Republicans would cut inflation by boosting energy production.
Harris rejected Mizeur鈥檚 claims that he has been ineffective or out of touch with the1st District, which includes all of the Eastern Shore and a section of northern Maryland. 鈥淪he was a highly-paid federal lobbyist. She doesn鈥檛 say that, because she wants you to think she鈥檚 a聽farmer,鈥� he said, his voice dripping with contempt.
鈥淚鈥檓 exceedingly effective on the Appropriations Committee,鈥� he added. 鈥淎sk any of the seafood processors鈥� [and] the people in the tourism industry who depend upon H2-B workers.鈥�
Mizeur said Harris has been so lax in responding to the needs of his constituents that she has begun doing 鈥渃ase work鈥� to connect people with the help they need. Harris rolled his eyes as she spoke. She said that because he opposed President Biden鈥檚 infrastructure bill, the Eastern Shore has to rely on Maryland鈥檚 Democratic U.S. senators for funding.
Wednesday鈥檚 debate was sponsored by Cecil TV, a community broadcasting outlet, and will be available on the station鈥檚 web page,聽. It was held in the Milburn Stone Theater at Cecil College. Approximately 80 people viewed the debate in person. Several attendees cheered Harris鈥� answer on immigration, earning a scolding from the moderator.
Harris at first declined to debate Mizeur because the station did not invite Libertarian Daniel Thibeault. After an invitation was extended and accepted, Harris agreed to participate. Ironically, Thibeault was a no-show on Wednesday. That meant that the two combatants talked at one another across an empty chair meant for Thibeault.
For reasons that weren鈥檛 immediately clear, Harris was selected to go first on every question. As a result, Mizeur got the last word on each of the six topics they were asked to discuss.
A battle over abortion
Mizeur appeared genuinely stunned when Harris declared himself to be a defender of a ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for instances of rape, incest and the health of the mother. She accused him of pivoting from what she called his 鈥渞eal鈥� stance on the issue.
鈥淵our position has been the most extreme that it can be,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e advocated a national ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother 鈥� a total ban. 鈥� You are hiding what your true, extreme position is here.鈥�
Harris said he鈥檚 a cosponsor of legislation put forward by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that would allow abortions up to 15 weeks. He said Democrats 鈥� if given the chance 鈥� would allow abortions for 鈥渟ex selection鈥� up to the day of delivery. 鈥淚鈥檓 sorry. That鈥檚 the extreme position,鈥� he said.
Mizeur called Harris鈥� statement 鈥渁n absolute offensive outrage to every woman in the state of Maryland.鈥� In a statement to Maryland Matters after the debate, the Mizeur campaign noted that Harris signed on as an original co-sponsor of the 鈥淟ife at Conception Act鈥� in early 2021. The measure would extend constitutional protections to 鈥渆ach human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization鈥︹�� He added his name to the House version of the Graham bill six weeks ago.
Although Mizeur has raised more money than Harris, the contours of the largely rural 1st District favor him. A member of the influential Appropriations Committee,聽聽of the campaign with more cash on hand.
Aware of the hurdles she faces, Mizeur cast herself in the debate as a 鈥渂ipartisan consensus-builder.鈥� Her campaign has distributed photos of her with Larry Hogan, the state鈥檚 popular Republican governor who has stayed neutral in the contest.
Both candidates acknowledged the need to reduce inflation and gain control of the U.S./Mexico border.
Harris blamed inflation on government spending and mocked his rival鈥檚 鈥�34-page plan鈥澛犅燤izeur accused energy companies of price-gouging. Perhaps remarkably, the lawmaker said the Pentagon is 鈥渕ore interested in whether or not you fund transgender surgery than whether you fund a missile system to counter the Chinese hypersonic threat.鈥�
The pair are scheduled to participate in a community forum on Thursday, the first day of early voting.
