Feb 13, 2008 12:43 pm US/Eastern
Harris Defeats Gilchrest In GOP 1st District Race
CHESTERTOWN, Md. (WJZ/AP) ―
Incumbent Republican Congressman Wayne Gilchrest was defeated Tuesday by state Senator Andy Harris in the 1st Congressional GOP race.
Mike Hellgren reports Gilchrest was one of two Republicans in Congress to vote for a withdrawal timeline in Iraq. Gilchrest voted to go to war in Iraq but later said he regretted the decision and that President Bush bungled the war.
Harris praised Gilchrest's service--after a campaign chastising him for being too liberal--but said the voters had spoken.
"The voters of the 1st Congressional District apparently embraced my conservative message," Harris said.
Gilchrest called the campaign the most intense and toughest of his political career. He had Republican challengers just a few months after being inaugurated into his ninth term.
After hearing that he had lost Tuesday, Gilchrest said he needed time to digest the news and determine how he feels about it.
Harris celebrated Tuesday, but he still must win the general election.
The Democratic opponent will be Queen Anne's State's Attorney Frank Kratovil.
Gilchrest has not given any indication that he would run as an independent for the 1st Congressional District. The Republican-skewing district covers parts of Baltimore, Harford and Anne Arundel Counties, plus the entire Eastern Shore.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
