There's a new challenger to incumbent Republican congressman Andy Harris. Dan Schwartz is the latest Democrat to make the attempt to unseat him where others have failed. Delmarva Public Media's Don Rush talks with the candidate about his campaign and some of the issues. The full interview can be heard on this Friday's Delmarva Today at noon on WSDL and WESM.
Democrat Dan Schwartz is making his case to voters in Maryland's 1st Congressional District, challenging longtime Republican Congressman Andy Harris with a campaign centered on representation, election reform and immigration ahead of the 2026 election.
Schwartz said he entered the race because he believed voters needed another choice and a representative focused on the economic concerns facing residents across the Eastern Shore.
"I didn't see anybody else raising their hand willing to take on Congressman Andy Harris," Schwartz said. "We need real representation in this district. People are just having a hard time making ends meet right now."
As Maryland lawmakers consider revisiting congressional redistricting, Schwartz is urging state leaders to prioritize election reforms over changing district boundaries, also known as gerrymandering. Rather than pursuing another round of redistricting, he said lawmakers should adopt open primaries to give independent voters a greater voice in the electoral process.
"If the politicians in Annapolis are serious about preserving our democracy... they have the opportunity to fight for open primaries instead of new district lines," Schwartz said.
Immigration is also expected to remain a defining issue in the race. Schwartz said he supports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) targeting undocumented immigrants who commit violent crimes but opposes broader enforcement actions that remove people without criminal records from local communities. He pointed to the detention of Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal, who leads Iglesia del Nazareno Jesús Te Ama in Easton, MD, as an example of enforcement that has raised concerns on the Eastern Shore.
Schwartz also called for comprehensive bipartisan immigration reform that combines stronger border security with avenues to citizenship for undocumented immigrants seeking legal status, arguing that the current system has created unnecessary uncertainty for communities across the country. "We need pathways to citizenship for people that are here trying to do the right thing," said Schwartz. "We do not need chaos in our communities conducted by federal agents who are not vetted."
