Andrew Peter Harris (born January 25, 1957) is an American politician and physician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2011. The district includes the entire Eastern Shore, as well as several eastern exurbs of Baltimore County. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Before entering politics, Harris worked as an anesthesiologist at Johns Hopkins University and commanded the Johns Hopkins Naval Reserve Medical Unit from 1989 to 1992. He was elected to the Maryland Senate in 1998 after defeating incumbent F. Vernon Boozer in the Republican primary, and served until his election to Congress in 2010, when he defeated incumbent Democrat Frank Kratovil in a rematch.

Since 2013, Harris has been the only Republican in Maryland's congressional delegation. He became chair of the House Freedom Caucus in 2024.

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 U.S. in 1950; his mother, Irene (Koczerzuk), was born in Zarice, Poland. Harris was born in New York, grew up in Queens, and attended Regis High School in Manhattan.

Harris earned his BS in biology (1977) and his MD (1980) from Johns Hopkins University. The university's School of Hygiene and Public Health conferred his MHS in 1995 in health policy and management and health finance and management.CongressmanAndy Harris: Biography . Retrieved September 29, 2017.

Harris served in the Navy Medical Corps and the U.S. Naval Reserve as a commander on active duty during Operation Desert Storm. He previously worked as an anesthesiologist, an associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine, and as chief of obstetric anesthesiology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Harris also served as commanding officer for the Johns Hopkins Naval Reserve Medical Unit from 1989 to 1992.

Maryland General Assembly Harris was first elected to the Maryland Senate in 1998 for District 9, including part of Baltimore County. He defeated his predecessor, Minority Leader F. Vernon Boozer, in the 1998 primary election. A major factor in the race was Boozer's role in derailing an attempt to ban partial-birth abortion a year earlier; the bill's sponsor, fellow state senator Larry Haines, supported Harris's primary bid. In the general election he defeated Democratic nominee Anthony O. Blades.

Harris's district was later redrawn to be District 7, representing parts of Harford County, succeeding Norman Stone. He defeated Democratic nominee Diane DeCarlo in the general election in 2002, and from 2003 to 2006 served as the minority whip. He was reelected in 2006, defeating Patricia A. Foerster. He was succeeded by J. B. Jennings.

In August 2001, following speculation that U.S. representative Bob Ehrlich would run for governor of Maryland in 2002, Harris formed an exploratory committee to explore a potential run for Congress in Maryland's 2nd congressional district. He ultimately decided against running.

U.S. House of Representatives Elections 2008

Harris defeated incumbent Republican Wayne Gilchrest and state senator E. J. Pipkin in the Republican primary for Maryland's 1st congressional district. Harris ran well to the right of Gilchrest, a moderate Republican. He explained that he was upset with Gilchrest's decision to support a Democrat-sponsored bill setting a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq and suspected that many of his constituents also felt that way. He was endorsed by the Club for Growth,Club for Growth Endorses Andy Harris Andy Harris For Congress press release. August 13, 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2007. which raised nearly $250,000 for him,OpenSecrets.org . OpenSecrets former governor Bob Ehrlich,Ehrlich supports Harris for seat Associated Press, Washington Times. October 19, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2007. seven of 10 state senators who represent parts of the district, and House minority leader Anthony O'Donnell.Eleven Republican Incumbents Have to Watch Their Backs in House Primaries By CQ Staff. October 2, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2007. His general election opponent, Queen Anne's County state's attorney Frank Kratovil, criticized the Club for Growth's policies, and Harris for having its support.Anti-tax group’s support not paying dividends Politico Gilchrest endorsed Kratovil.

On paper, Harris had a strong advantage in the general election due to its Republican lean. Although Democrats and Republicans are nearly tied in registration, the district has a strong tinge of social conservatism that favors Republicans. It had been in Republican hands for all but 14 years since 1947, although Kratovil received a significant boost when Gilchrest endorsed him.

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 there was little chance for Harris to close the gap, most media outlets declared Kratovil the winner on the night of November 7. Harris conceded on November 11.

Harris dominated his longtime base in Baltimore's heavily Republican eastern suburbs, which account for most of the district's share of Baltimore County, but failed to carry a single county on the Eastern Shore.

2010

Harris ran again in the 1st District in 2010. He defeated Rob Fisher, a conservative businessman, in the primary.

Harris's primary win set up a rematch against Kratovil. Libertarian Richard James Davis and Independent Jack Wilson also ran. In the November 2 general election, Harris defeated Kratovil by 14%.

2012

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 Harris's home in Cockeysville out of the 1st. Instead, Roscoe Bartlett's 6th District was redrawn. Some of Bartlett's shares of Harford, Baltimore, and Carroll counties were drawn into the 1st, making this already strongly Republican district even more so.

Harris was reelected, defeating Democratic nominee Wendy Rosen with 67% of the vote. Rosen withdrew from the race after being confronted with evidence that she had voted in both Maryland and Florida in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Rosen had property in Florida, and Maryland law allowed property owners to vote in local elections even if they live elsewhere. But her Florida voting registration reportedly also gave her access to state and federal elections there, which was prohibited by Maryland law. At the time Rosen withdrew, ballots had already been printed. John LaFerla, who had narrowly lost to Rosen in the primary, was endorsed as Rosen's replacement, but could only be a write-in.

2014

Harris defeated Democratic nominee Bill Tilghman with over 70% of the vote.

2016

Harris won the Republican primary, defeating three challengers with 78.4% of the vote. Former Maryland state delegate Mike Smigiel came in second place with 10.8%.Rachel Kurzius, Sorry, D.C.—Andy Harris Won His Primary Race , DCist (April 27, 2016). Smigiel ran because he opposed Harris's strident opposition to marijuana decriminalization in the District of Columbia.

In the general election, Harris won another term with 229,135 votes (67.8%),Maryland U.S. House 1st District: Results: Andy Harris Wins , New York Times (December 13, 2016). defeating Democratic nominee Joe Werner, a "little-known Harford County attorney and perennial candidate"Benjamin Freed, Activists Tried to Defeat the Maryland Congressman Who Messed With DC’s Pot Laws. Here’s Why They Failed , Washingtonian (April 27, 2016). who received 94,776 votes (28%). Libertarian candidate Matt Beers received 14,207 votes (4.2%). In February 2016, Harris was the first congressman to endorse Ben Carson for the Republican nomination for president. Carson dropped out two weeks later after a poor performance in the Super Tuesday March 1 primaries.

2018

While Harris was running for reelection, the Maryland Democratic Party accused him of ethics violations, alleging that he might have violated ethics rules requiring members to report the source of spousal income and assets. In response, the Harris campaign said the omission was a mistake, and Harris amended his filing once he became aware of the error.

In the general election, Harris defeated Democratic nominee Jesse Colvin with 60% of the vote.

2020

Harris defeated Democratic nominee Mia Mason with over 63% of the vote.

2022

Harris had initially promised to serve only six terms (12 years) in the House, but opted to run again in 2022. Maryland state legislators had passed a new congressional map that gave Democrats an advantage over Republicans in all eight of the state's congressional districts, but the map was ruled unconstitutional by Judge Lynne A. Battaglia in March 2022. Afterwards, legislators passed a new map that was signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan in April 2022, which returned the district to being solidly Republican. However, it was slightly less Republican than its predecessor.

In the general election, Harris faced former state delegate Heather Mizeur, whom he sought to portray as a tax-approving liberal who would increase federal spending and support Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Mizeur, in turn, characterized Harris as an ineffective legislator and criticized him for challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election and for supporting the Life at Conception Act. Harris defeated Mizeur with 54.4 percent of the vote, his closest race since his 2010 victory.

2024

Harris was re-elected to an eighth term in 2024, defeating Democratic challenger Blaine Miller III in the general election with 59.41% of the vote.

Committee assignments For the 118th Congress: Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (Chair) Subcommittee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

Caucus memberships Freedom Caucus Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans Congressional Motorcycle Caucus Congressional Ukraine Caucus

Political positions

During the 117th United States Congress, GovTrack rated Harris as the 60th most conservative member of the House of Representatives. The Washington Post described Harris as "an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump", whose right-wing populism he has called the "future of the Republican Party". He initially endorsed neurosurgeon Ben Carson for president during the 2016 Republican primaries, but later backed Trump after Carson suspended his campaign. A member of the House Freedom Caucus, Harris unsuccessfully ran for chairmanship of the Republican Study Committee in 2016, during which he campaigned on uniting the caucus and committee. Harris voted with President Donald Trump's stated position 94.7% of the time in the 119th Congress through 2025, according to a VoteHub analysis.

Domestic policy Abortion Harris identifies as "pro-life".

During the 2000 legislative session, Harris introduced a bill to ban abortions after fetal viability.

In 2004, Harris cosigned a letter opposing the Ronald Reagan and Christopher Reeve Stem Cell Research Act, which would require the state to provide $25 million toward stem cell research annually. He also introduced the Human Cloning Prohibition Act, a bill to ban stem cell research in Maryland. In 2006, Harris filibustered a bill to provide $25 million a year toward stem cell research.