Congressman Harris’s Empty Chair

The unexpected resignation of 1st District Democratic Candidate Wendy Rosen last month has had consequences well beyond the embarrassing allegation that Ms. Rosen might have committed voter fraud.

Coming just days after the state election ballot was printed, the Rosen withdrawal made it impossible for state Democrats to formally replace her name with that of Dr. John LaFerla, who lost to Ms. Rosen by only 57 votes in the April primary, and who was unanimously selected by state party leaders to fill Ms. Rosen’s slot.

Shortly after the Rosen resignation, Dr. Harris withdrew from previously scheduled debate forums in favor of holding local town meetings–under the rationale that it would be hard to accommodate a potentially large number of write-in candidates and still have a meaningful discussion of the issues.

Dr. Harris’ argument may have been persuasive for some at the time, but Dr. LaFerla’s ascendance as the choice of state Democrats, and the small field of write-in candidates, should give Congressman Harris pause to reconsider, and agree to participate in the candidate’s forum at Chesapeake College on October 21.

The political risks for Dr. Harris in joining the forum are remarkably small. The incumbent was already leading substantially in polls well before the Rosen withdrawal. The fact that she has been replaced with a write-in candidate makes it even more unlikely Dr. Harris will face an upset in November.

On the other hand, the extraordinary public value in the honest exchange of ideas, particularly in the area of social security and healthcare, between two well regarded physicians with different points of view, is significant, and should be played out for the benefit of voters.

With all of Dr. Harris’ political advantages of incumbency, financial backing, and an increasingly conservative 1st District, it will be hard for him to justify not taking his seat in Wye Mills later this month. It is the right thing to do for his constituents.