The League of Women Voters hosted a forum for 1st District Congressional candidates at Chesapeake College, the afternoon of April 21. The two Republican candidates were represented and found common ground on many issues, but especially their contempt for incumbent Rep. Andy Harris who did not attend the forum.
Republican candidates Chris Bruneau and Michael Scott Lemon, replying to a question, said Harris, who has been in Congress since 2008, initially promised to serve only six terms, for a total of 12 years in the House, but opted to run again in 2022 and is running in the upcoming election.
During the forum, Lemon criticized the Harris campaign for the running of his reelection campaign.
“I’ve not seen the hide nor hair of Andy Harris,” Lemon said. “So his strategy is, ‘My name is already on there. I’m an incumbent; I’m already going to win.’”
When asked about the incumbent, Bruneau told a story of how he reached out to Harris about his candidacy because he assumed Harris would not run again. In the same email, Bruneau asked how he could take on Harris’ conservative legacy. When Bruneau received a reply from Harris, he said it “wasn’t a nice reply.”
“There’s new blood, new people, grassroots guys, he can get down there and make a difference,” Bruneau said. “So his term may be limited May 14, 2024, by voting a new candidate ... and start doing some work.”
The Democratic forum, scheduled to run before the Republican forum, was canceled when only candidate Blane Miller showed up. Candidate Blessing Oluwadare did not attend.
Among other topics discussed and agreed upon among the Republican candidates was a similar frustration with excessive government spending and the large national debt, term limits for members of Congress, advocating for prioritizing American needs over large amounts of foreign aid spending and a desire to lower taxes while also reducing the deficit though they differed on specific approaches.
When asked about the federal role of abortion, Lemon said it should be left to the states to decide.
Lemon stated that it was a “difficult issue,” and by leaving it up to the states, the government allowed the voters to make informed decisions for their area.
Bruneau said that it should be up to the individual to decide whether or not they would like to have an abortion because of how complicated and potentially dangerous it could be to the mother’s life and to the fetus’s life.
“These are decisions individuals need to make. I don’t know where the basis comes from for the government to get involved in these things,” Bruneau said. “I’m not quite sure it’s constitutional for the government to get involved in these things.”
In closing statements, Brueneau said he is not a politician; he is a businessman. He made clear that Harris is a candidate like himself and Lemon and that he should have been at the forum so the voters could consider rehiring him as their representative.
Bruneau accused the Harris campaign of not appearing in the forum because he was leading in the polls. Calls made to the Andy Harris congressional office were referred to his campaign office, but no one answered the phone Monday afternoon.
In his closing statement, Lemon said he would give the voters his most authentic, honest version of himself. He emphasized that voters need to make their voices heard on May 14.
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