The quote in the headline of this post appears in my weekend column in The Baltimore Sun. It is how Heather Mizeur, the Democratic candidate for Maryland’s 1st District congressional seat, characterizes the record of her Republican opponent, Andy Harris.

The post office mentioned is in Salisbury, and Mizeur is correct: It was a bill filed by Harris in 2018 that led to the naming of the post office in honor of Sgt. Maj. Wardell B. Turner, a Salisbury native who was killed in Afghanistan four years earlier.
Was that Harris’ only legislative accomplishment, as Mizeur claims?
According to congressional records, the post office renaming is the only Harris-introduced bill that became law.
If anyone from Harris’ staff ever responded to one of my phone or email inquiries, I would ask if we missed something.
Harris certainly has attached his name to plenty of bills and, as I have documented, he has a horrible voting record — against the Affordable Care Act, the infrastructure bill that passed last November, the Inflation Reduction Act, all of which benefit his constituents in one way or another. He voted against the certification of President Biden’s 2020 election and he later voted against honoring the police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6.
All of this supports the fact that Harris has little to show for his years in Congress. He’s running for re-election again despite a pledge not to serve more than 12 years, and voters will decide on Nov. 8 whether to give him a seventh term.
If they do, it will be a shame.
They’ll be sending back to Washington one of the least effective legislators and an extremely partisan one.
Harris is rated one of the worst members of Congress when it comes to bipartisanship by the Lugar Center and Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. The center annually ranks how often each member of Congress works across party lines.
Out of the 435 House members, Harris ranked 426th. He’s near the bottom with the likes of Marjorie Taylor Green, Jim Jordan and Lauren Boebert.

You’d think Marylanders who live in the 1st District would want Mizeur representing them this time — someone potentially more effective, certainly more reasonable and willing to seek bipartisan solutions to the nation’s problems. Mizeur is an underdog. She only wins if Democrats come out in big numbers and just enough independents and moderate Republicans (assuming there are any) back her at the polls. That’s a tall order. We live in tribal times. But if Mizeur wins, it will be one of the biggest — and most satisfying — political upsets in Maryland history.
Before there was Andy Harris, there was Marjorie Holt. She served 14 years in the House without getting a single bill passed into law. She was an expert dog-whistler and culture warrior, though. The joke was that she only knew three words: busing, abortion, and communism. On a letter asking for constituent feedback, she asked the question “Would you support reducing the American military budget even though it would mean Soviet domination of the world?” It didn’t help that she always looked like she was sucking on a lemon.
I was a pretty steady Republican voter until the 90’s, but I voted for grossly unqualified Democrats over Holt.
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The only good thing about the fact that I have been gerrymandered into the First District is that I get to vote against Andy Harris
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Politicians need to be responsible— why do voters keep electing them — IF they do NOTHING for their constituents?
The only way — our country will move forward is for LIMITED terms for ALL political offices!!
Just like the presidency —- 8 years and that’s
ENOUGH!! Too many politicians make it a career, they have too many opportunities to get special deals with lobbyists! And in the process become multi – millionaires!
Two terms for ALL — no more lifers , like
the late Edward Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi & all the 80 year olds still in office! ENOUGH!
And I even SUGGEST that the Supreme Court Justices NEED to be retired at 70 — the rest of society retires at 62- 65!! No need for them to be in office for a life time — give a new generation the opportunity to improve the laws/ the quality of life and the Americans dream to be realized for every American.
Also they, retired politicians, Supreme Court judges , former presidents, etc. are NOT to be entitled to a life time of SPECIAL medical coverage — we who are retired do not get EXCEPTIONAL coverage as do retired politicians! WHY are they SPECIAL?
ENOUGH!
America needs to take care of ALL hard working people ( who are not on the government pay roll )!
Those who work hard for their constituents, those who work hard every day to keep food on the table for their families need to feel they are bein equally treated upon retirement — make the politicians who retire pay their FAIR share of Medicare and a SUPPLEMENT coverage — just like WE do! ENOUGH!!
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