Andrew P. Harris

This article is about the politician from Maryland. For other uses, see Andrew Harris (disambiguation).

Andy Harris
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Frank Kratovil
Member of the Maryland State Senate from the 7th district
In office January 8, 2003 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Norman R. Stone, Jr.
Succeeded by	J. B. Jennings
Member of the Maryland State Senate from the 9th district
In office 1998–2003
Preceded by	F. Vernon Boozer
Succeeded by	Robert H. Kittleman
Personal details
Born	Andrew P. Harris January 25, 1957 (1957-01-25) Brooklyn, New York
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Sylvia Harris
Residence	Cockeysville, Maryland
Alma mater	Johns Hopkins University (B.S., M.D.)
Profession	Anesthesiologist
Religion	Roman Catholic
Website	http://harris.house.gov/
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy Reserve Medical Corps
Years of service	1988–2010
Rank	Commander
Battles/wars	Operation Desert Storm

Andrew P. Harris (born January 25, 1957) is an American physician and politician who is the U.S. Representative for Maryland's 1st congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party and formerly served in the Senate of the Maryland General Assembly.

Early life, education and career

Harris's father was Zoltán Harris, an anesthesiologist who was born in Miskolc, Hungary in 1911 and emigrated to the United States in 1950; his mother, Irene, was born in Poland.

Harris earned his B.S. in biology (1977) and his M.D. (1980) from the Johns Hopkins University. The University's Bloomberg School of Hygiene and Public health conferred the M.H.S. in 1995 in Health Policy & Management and also Health Finance & Management.

Harris served in the Navy Medical Corps and the U.S. Naval Reserve as a Lt. Commander on active duty during Operation Desert Storm, and currently serves as a Commander. He has worked as an anesthesiologist, as an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, and as Chief of Obstetric Anesthesiology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Harris also served as Commanding officer for the Johns Hopkins Naval Reserve Medical Unit from 1989 to 1992.

Maryland General Assembly

Andrew Harris was first elected to the Maryland Senate in 1998 for District 9 for Baltimore County. He defeated his predecessor, F. Vernon Boozer, in the 1998 primary election. In the general election he defeated Democratic challenger Anthony O. Blades.

His district was later redrawn to be District 7, representing Baltimore County and Harford County. He defeated Democratic challenger Diane DeCarlo in the general election in 2002, and from 2003 to 2006 served as the Minority Whip. In 2006 he won re-election, this time defeating Patricia A. Foerster.

U.S. Congressional campaigns

2008

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland, 2008#1st Congressional District

Harris defeated incumbent Republican Wayne Gilchrest and State Senator E.J. Pipkin in the Republican primary for Maryland's 1st congressional district. Harris explained that he was upset with Gilchrest's decision to support a Democratic bill setting a time table for troop withdrawal from Iraq and suspected that many of his constituents also felt that way. Andy Harris was endorsed by the Club for Growth, which raised nearly $250,000 for him, and by former Governor Bob Ehrlich, seven of ten state senators who represent parts of the district, and House Minority leader Anthony J. O'Donnell. His general election opponent Frank Kratovil attacked the Club for Growth's policies, and Harris for having its support. Gilchrest endorsed Kratovil for the General election. The November election was as close as expected. On election night, Kratovil led Harris by 915 votes. After two rounds of counting absentee ballots, Kratovil's lead grew to 2,000 votes. Forecasting that it would be nearly impossible for Harris to close the gap, most media outlets declared Kratovil the winner on the night of November 7. Harris finally conceded on November 11. Harris won most of the suburban Baltimore portion of the district, but lost the Eastern Shore, home to half of the district's population. It is interesting to note that John McCain won this district by 19 points.

2010

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland, 2010#1st Congressional District*

Harris ran again for Congress in Maryland's 1st congressional district. His challenger in the Republican primary was Rob Fisher, a conservative businessman.

Harris won the primary and went on to challenge Democratic incumbent Frank Kratovil. Libertarian Richard James Davis and Independent Jack Wilson also ran. Harris defeated Kratovil on November 2, 2010 by 14%.

The National Journal's Cook Political Report named Harris one of the top 10 Republicans most vulnerable to redistricting in 2012, noting that Maryland Democrats could redraw the First District away from Harris's home in Baltimore.

Controversies

Harris’ prominence as a medical doctor in opposition to government-run health care made him a lightning rod for attacks by supporters of the 2010 health care legislation. At a closed-door employee benefits briefing for new congressmen during the November 2010 freshman orientation, Harris was surprised to learn that the Federal employee health benefit plan would leave the new congressmen and their staffers without coverage until the following pay period, 28 days after inauguration. Concerned about this gap in coverage, he asked whether new government employees could purchase temporary coverage to fill this gap. "This is the only employer I've ever worked for where you don't get coverage the first day you are employed”, he said through his spokeswoman, Anna Nix. Through a spokesman, his defeated opponent, Frank Kratovil, seized upon this dialogue, characterizing the question as a “demand” for special treatment and for access to the benefits he opposed in the new law. Furthermore, "Harris then asked if he could purchase insurance from the government to cover the gap," added an aide, who was struck by the similarity to Harris's request and the public option he denounced as a gateway to socialized medicine.

In very early February, 2012, During a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment on Feb. 1, documentary filmmaker Josh Fox, director of the Academy Award-nominated documentary "Gasland" was taken into custody by United States Capitol Police, along with his crew, after Republicans objected to their presence, according to Democratic sources present at the hearing. The meeting of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment had been taking place in Room 2318 of the Rayburn Building. Harris is chairman of the panel.

Committee Assignments

• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
  • Subcommittee on Highways & Transit
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources & Environment
• Committee on Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs
• Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Research and Science Education
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Environment (Chairman)

Electoral history

Year	Office	Election		Subject	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%
1998	Maryland Senate, District 9	General		Andy Harris	Republican	24,814	61%		Anthony O. Blades	Democratic	15,780	39%
2002	Maryland Senate, District 7	General		Andy Harris	Republican	23,374	57.8%		Dianne DeCarlo	Democratic	16,991	42.1%		Write-ins		44	0.1%
2006	Maryland Senate, District 7	General		Andy Harris	Republican	23,453	56.6%		Patricia A. Foerster	Democratic	17,972	43.3%		Write-ins		35	0.1%
2008	United States House of Representatives, Maryland's 1st congressional district	Primary		Andy Harris	Republican	33,627	43.4%		Wayne Gilchrest	Republican	25,624	33.1%		E.J. Pipkin	Republican	15,700	20.3%
2008	United States House of Representatives, Maryland's 1st congressional district	General		Frank Kratovil	Democratic	177,065	49.1%		Andy Harris	Republican	174,213	48.3%		Richard James Davis	Libertarian	8,873	2.5%		Write-ins		35	0.1%
2010	United States House of Representatives, Maryland's 1st congressional district	General		Andy Harris	Republican	155,118	54.1%		Frank Kratovil	Democratic	120,400	42.0%		Richard James Davis	Libertarian	10,876	3.8%		Write-ins		418	0.15%

Personal life

Harris and his wife Sylvia have five children and reside in Cockeysville, Maryland.

Andy Harris has been an active member in the community as a member of the Knights of Columbus, an officer in the Thornleigh Neighborhood Improvement Association (vice-president, 1984–85; president, 1985–86),^{[citation needed]} a member of the Board of Directors of the Sherwood Community Association, 1987–91,^{[citation needed]} and served as Vice President of St. Joseph's School Home-School Association from 1992 to 1994.^{[citation needed]} Also, he has been on the Board of Directors of the Maryland Leadership Council, 1995–98, a member of the North Central Republican Club (treasurer, 1997–98; vice-president, 1998), and finally as a Delegate to the Republican Party National Convention, 2004. Harris has received the Laughlin Award for Distinguished Public Officer, Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland in 2001.

External links

• Congressman Andy Harris official U.S. House site
• Andy Harris for U.S. Congress official campaign site
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Frank Kratovil	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 1st congressional district January 3, 2011 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Richard Hanna R-New York	United States Representatives by seniority 378th	Succeeded by Vicky Hartzler R-Missouri