With Republican candidates outspending them 7 to 1, it’s easy to forget that there is a race among Democrats for the 1st Congressional District seat now held by nine-term Republican Rep. Wayne Gilchrest.

Frank Kratovil, 39, the Queen Anne’s County prosecutor, has the most endorsements from state and local officials and unions. “I think it is a good sign that the Republicans are not only talking about my candidacy, but concerned about it,” Kratovil told The Examiner.

“I’m running against someone who’s been anointed by the governor and the others in the Democratic Party,” said Steve Harper, 46, a former Foreign Service officer now working in international education. “They wanted to make sure there was someone in the race that they could count on and they knew.”

Lawyer Christopher Robinson, 52, from Cambridge, who ran for the seat in 2006, said, “I hope what I’m hearing about endorsements is true — that they’re overrated.”

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Unlike the high-volume Republican race with attack ads pounding the airwaves, the Democratic race is a subdued contest largely being conducted by direct mail and traditional retail campaigning.

The three candidates want to leave Iraq as quickly as possible, and say it is diverting money from domestic priorities. Kratovil said he has no timetable for withdrawal.

“I would stop spending so much money on this idiotic war,” Harper said.

Kratovil called himself “a moderate” who has championed stricter enforcement of immigration laws for five years. “We should reward those who follow the law,” Kratovil said. He also wants employers punished for hiring illegal immigrants.

Harper, a former consular officer in several countries, said the law should be enforced until employers “start feeling the pain.”

All three want to make sure all Americans have access to health care. Harper wants to require everyone to buy health insurance, and provide financial assistance to those who can’t afford it while Kratovil said he would work to reach consensus on a plan that provides coverage without hurting employers. “This is a middle class issue,” he said.

“We need to do better for the Bay,” Harper said. “It’s we humans that are killing the Bay.”

Gilchrest has a reputation as an environmentalist, Kratovil said, but if the congressman were a Democrat, environmental groups would be “looking for a new candidate.”

1st Congressional District

Steve Harper, Arnold, Anne Arundel

» Education: B.A., University of Georgia

» Career: Vice president for international affairs, Petters Group Worldwide; U.S. Foreign Service officer, 16 years

» Family: Married with three children

» Funds: Raised $12,539; spent $9,692

Frank Kratovil, Stevensville, Queen Anne’s

» Education: Bachelor’s, Western Maryland College; law, University of Baltimore School of Law

» Family: Married, with four children

» Career: State’s attorney, Queens Anne’s County; assistant prosecutor, Queen Anne’s and Prince George’s counties; law clerk

» Funds: Raised $241,535; spent $159,264; cash $82,271

Christopher Robinson, Trappe, Dorchester

» Education: B.A., Northern Arizona University; J.D., Catholic University of America

» Family: Married

» Career: Lawyer in Cambridge; staff member, U.S. Congress

» Funds: Raised $95,969; spent $74,441; cash $21,481; loan $8,643,

» Today: The Democrats

» Wednesday: Republicans: Liberal vs. Conservative

» Thursday: Immigration

» Friday: Iraq war

llazarick@baltimoreexaminer.com