Kratovil hopeful as GOP tries to paint him as liberal

BALTIMORE (Map, News) -  In Maryland’s 1st Congressional District, Democrat Frank Kratovil is enjoying recent internal polls showing him ahead of Republican Andy Harris.

But the GOP continues to paint Kratovil, the Queen Anne’s County state’s attorney, as the liberal in the race, based on fundraising support from gun control advocates and congressional Democrats.

A May poll for Kratovil found him ahead of Harris 45 percent to 38 percent. But Harris, a Baltimore County state senator and Johns Hopkins doctor, is far better known than Kratovil — 58 percent name recognition to the Democrat’s 25 percent — after a bruising primary in which Harris unseated incumbent Rep. Wayne Gilchrest.

Harris spent almost $1.3 million in a three-way primary in which Kratovil spent only $253,000, none of it on TV.

“Once Mr. Kratovil gets on television as well and increases his name recognition and profile, his support should increase,” said pollster Frank Yang of the Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group.

State GOP Chairman Jim Pelura tried to link Kratovil with “far-left liberal allies” with fundraising events keynoted by Gov. Martin O’Malley, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and anti-gun advocates. “With the thousands of dollars being raised by anti-Second Amendment liberals for Frank Kratovil’s campaign, it is clear that he will be beholden to their radical agenda in Washington,” Pelura said.

“If anybody thinks that by giving Frank money that he’s going to be beholden to their interests, they will be disappointed,” Kratovil spokesman Erik Gulbrandsen said. Kratovil’s position is that “there are plenty of gun laws on the book, and they need to be enforced,” he said.

llazarick@baltimoreexaminer.com

Advertisement