Trump, redistricting big issues as Harris and Schwartz meet in candidate forum

Republican Rep. Andy Harris and his Democratic opponent, Dan Schwartz, agree on one thing: They’re against midcycle redistricting in Maryland.

The debate over whether Maryland should jump into the national redistricting wars to control Congress has cast a shadow over the 1st District campaign and could be a rare moment of unity when candidates face off in a public forum Tuesday night.

“I haven’t had a single voter in my 17 months of doing this — of any party — come up to me and tell me they think it’s a good idea for the Eastern Shore to be combined with Anne Arundel or potentially Howard County,” Schwartz, a first-time candidate, said in an interview.

Harris, the chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and one of the most influential Republicans in Washington, has made himself an easy foil for Maryland Democrats. If he wins reelection, he’d be the target of any future redistricting effort. Redrawing the GOP stronghold, he said, is a “bad idea,” and bad for democracy.

But that’s where Harris and Schwartz part ways.

The 1st District race is more likely to hinge on President Donald Trump and his policies. Schwartz is focusing on rising gas prices, tariffs, and the war in Iran. Harris supports the war as well as Trump’s immigration enforcement and cuts to government spending.

Harris, who was first elected in 2010 and is seeking his ninth term, declined multiple interview requests.

The 1st District, which has picked Harris by at least 11 points in every election, boasts the largest share of the state’s farmland, the hub of its commercial seafood industry, and Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Voter registration data, the latest from 2024, is stacked in Harris’ favor: A plurality are registered Republicans, one-third are registered Democrats, and just over 1 in 5 are unaffiliated.

Trump won the district in his last three presidential elections. Political handicappers have rated the district as “safe” for a Republican. But Republicans’ and Trump’s approval ratings have tanked heading into November, putting secure GOP seats in play. It’s unclear whether that will include the 1st District.

Schwartz has pitched himself as a local Democrat who is in touch with the hardships of his neighbors and is trying to bridge partisan divides. His challenge lies in winning over an electorate typically turned off by his national party’s brand.

If elected, Schwartz said, he’ll work in Congress to reverse Republican policies passed under Trump and the cuts forged in the president’s tax plan known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. He called Trump’s tariffs, which have raised the costs of farm equipment and growing and exporting crops, “attacks on our families and our farmers.”

“We’re also going to bring home our troops from this never-ending and dangerous war in Iran that has caused an energy crisis,” Schwartz said. “We’re going to use those taxpayer dollars here instead.”

Residents in the district, which includes the mostly rural Eastern Shore and Cecil, Harford and part of Baltimore County, have been hit hard by high energy costs, grocery bills and gas prices. Restaurants and small businesses have felt the weight of Trump’s mass deportations. Federal workers in the district have lost their steady, good-paying jobs.

Harris has acknowledged the pain people are feeling and in September asked his colleagues to suspend the federal gas tax. This pitch fell flat with his fellow Republicans.

The powerful appropriator on Capitol Hill is renowned in his district for delivering funding for community projects such as creek dredging, Ocean City beach replenishment and equipment, and trucks for local firehouses.

Schwartz, a former consumer financial protection watchdog, quit his job last year to run for Congress. He’s won a following of hopeful Democrats eager to flip the seat and said he’s had encouraging conversations with Republicans and unaffiliated voters who are fed up with Washington politics.

He said he’s hearing the same message from voters across party lines.

“They’re having a hard time putting food on the table for their families; they’re having a hard time putting gas in their cars or diesel in their trucks,” he said.

If national politics could hurt the Republican candidate, Maryland Democrats’ push to draw new lines could weigh on Schwartz’s chances.

“There’s this visceral feeling right now that the Democrats in Annapolis are trying to steal the Eastern Shore,” Schwartz said in an interview.

The statewide redistricting question will appear on the same ballot as the 1st District race. Should a majority approve, it could also sketch out a path to victory for a Democratic candidate like Schwartz or make it harder for Harris in future elections.

Political groups for and against the measure have launched campaigns pitching their side and poured money into voter education. A UMBC poll released last week showed that a majority of Maryland voters agreed with Harris and Schwartz in opposing the measure.

The forum will be held at 6 p.m. at the Chesapeake Grove Intergenerational Center in Cambridge. Limited audience seating is first-come, first-served, and doors open at 5:30 p.m. The event is scheduled for 90 minutes.

The forum can be streamed online, including on the Facebook pages of Queen Anne’s County Television and WHCP Radio or on Radio Chesapeake’s YouTube channel.