Roy Dyson

Maryland's 1st Congressional District hopefuls will square off in their first public debate this week.

State's Attorney Frank Kratovil (D-Stevensville), state Sen. Andy Harris (R-Cockeysville) and Libertarian Richard Davis will go at it for an hour and a half at Salisbury University starting at 7pm. The event will be free, open to the public and moderated by WYPR-FM's Don Rush.

Maryland has fourteen living former Members of Congress; the oldest is Marjorie Holt, who turns 88 on Wednesday.  The Anne Arundel Republican was elected to the House in 1972 and served until her retirement in 1986.  The others: Michael Barnes, Robert Bauman, Helen Delich Bentley, Beverly Byron, Roy Dyson, Bob Ehrlich, Lawrence Hogan, Charles Mathias, Thomas McMillan, Kweisi Mfume, Connie Morella, Paul Sarbanes and Albert Wynn.

Democrats have not held power in Maryland's 1st Congressional District since Roy Dyson represented the Eastern Shore from 1981-1991. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-Kennedyville) defeated Dyson in the 1990 elections, and has held the seat since, but when state Sen. Andy Harris (R-Cockeysville) defeated Gilchrest in the 2008 GOP primary, many Democrats began to focus on the district.

"I think this is the best chance we've had in years to reclaim the seat," Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Towson) of the 3rd Congressional District told PolitickerMD.com this past weekend.

The party's nominee, Queen Anne's County State's Attorney Frank Kratovil (D-Stevensville), "represents a very strong candidate for Democrats," Sarbanes said.

Today’s Politicker.com list of the America’s Top 53 Political Sex Scandals has two Maryland members, #35 Charles Boutin and #40 Bob Bauman.

Feel free to add others from our history in the comments.

Frank Kratovil (D-Stevensville), the State’s Attorney for Queen Anne’s County and Democratic nominee in Maryland’s First Congressional District is a career prosecutor and political moderate. It is with that law and order background and independence that the 39-year-old begins his general election campaign against state Sen. Andy Harris (R-Cockeysville).

Steve Meehan, Kratovil’s campaign manager, told PolitickerMD.com that his candidates’ “skill at consensus building” would aide his effort to secure victory in a district that has not been represented by a Democrat since Roy Dyson in 1990.

“At the end of the day—it’s a pretty middle of the road place,” Meehan said in reference to the first district.