It's so hot babies are crying at the Cecil County Fair, but Republican state Sen. Andy Harris is all smiles handing out plates of barbecued chicken at a GOP fundraiser.

Harris exudes confidence in his contest for an open race in the 1st Congressional District. He's taking on Democratic Queen Anne's County State's Attorney Frank Kratovil, but Republicans at the fair say Harris has a big advantage because of Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley.

The governor attended Kratovil's campaign announcement last year and is a key ally. But O'Malley's approval ratings have slipped since he steered through $1.4 billion in new taxes that took effect this year. Although Kratovil isn't disavowing the governor, he's not exactly posing for pictures with him, either.

"Nobody likes the governor," said Diane Carabetta of Perryville, a Republican activist who came to the fair to greet Harris, who won knocked off incumbent Rep. Wayne Gilchrest in February in a bruising GOP primary.

Democrats insist this is their best shot in 20 years of winning the seat that includes the Eastern Shore and parts of the counties of Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Harford.

But Harris is confident.

"It's the home stretch," Harris said, calling the primary his "biggest challenge" in a district that hasn't sent a Democrat to the House since 1988.

Indeed, Harris knocked off Gilchrest by highlighting his conservative credentials and arguing Gilchrest was too moderate for the district. An obstetric anesthesiologist from Harford County, Harris opposes abortion, taxes and especially O'Malley. Holding onto a fundraising advantage over Kratovil, Harris said his job is only getting easier as voters worry about high gas prices and the economy.

"The issues have changed in this race, and they're very favorable for me," Harris said, mentioning his call to suspend the national gas tax and ratchet back other taxes to stimulate the economy.

Harris' lower-taxes pitch goes over well with Eastern Shore Republicans frustrated by O'Malley's tax plan, passed in 2007 to address a looming state deficit. The taxes are so unpopular with some that "Owe'Malley" stickers appear on some Eastern Shore bumpers.

"I think (O'Malley) spends too much money, and he doesn't think enough about where it comes from," said Robert Orndorf of North East, another Republican at the dinner. "You gotta run a state like a household. If, at the end of the month, you have less money than you started with, you're doing something wrong."

Even Republicans who backed Gilchrest in the primary say the unpopularity of state Democrats in the 1st District gives Harris a clear path to Congress.

"Of course, you never want to say anything's in the bag. But what's that old adage? That 'You're known by the company you keep?' You're seeing it here," said Delegate Richard Sossi, a Republican at the chicken dinner.

For Kratovil, though, there are signs Harris doesn't have the race sewed up.

The law-and-order Democrat says he has seen fundraising pick up, narrowing Harris' money advantage, especially since the national Democratic Party named the 1st District seat a priority for congressional gains this fall. In the quarter ending June 30, Harris had about $609,000 cash on hand, to Kratovil's $454,027.

Kratovil says he's picking up his campaign schedule while remaining a prosecutor, and that voters are responding to his pledge to be independent of O'Malley and other Democratic leaders.

"The momentum has shifted in this race," Kratovil said last week in an interview.

"We're finding on the campaign trail that people want a candidate who isn't going to follow any one particular platform, but is going to represent the district," said Kratovil, who dismisses Harris' call for a gas tax suspension as "ridiculous" but shares Harris' support for more domestic oil production and calls himself fiscally conservative.

Kratovil said he's focusing on Democrats and moderate Republicans who had voted for Gilchrest for years and may be persuaded to change parties because of how conservative Harris is. Gilchrest hasn't endorsed a successor.

"I really feel the momentum's changed and that moderate Republicans are turning my way," Kratovil said.

Democrats in the district believe Kratovil can succeed capturing the middle.

"He's not an extremist on either side, so he'll appeal to a broad spectrum," said Hope Harrington of Easton, a Democrat confident Kratovil can pick up the seat.

Neither candidate has started TV advertising yet, and except for fundraisers and personal appearances, the campaigning has been limited to candidate signs sprinkled across the district. The light campaigning won't last.

"I'm a prosecutor," Kratovil said, promising the campaign will move into higher gear after Labor Day. "Although I'm also a nice guy, I think it's important people know the differences between us."

Kratovil isn't worried that O'Malley's unpopularity will sink him. Though O'Malley attended Kratovil's candidacy announcement and fundraisers, Kratovil stresses in remarks and to reporters his independence from the governor.

"I think people are smart enough to make their own decisions on individual candidates," he said.

A spokesman for O'Malley, Rick Abbruzzese, says O'Malley will help Kratovil "however he can" - but he added that a bigger priority for O'Malley this fall is pushing for approval of a referendum to allow slot machine gambling. "The governor's focused on running the state," Abbruzzese said.

Back at the fair, Harris seems not to worry the seat will fall out of Republican hands.

"Our polling shows this is a district that will send a Republican to Congress," Harris said.

The First Congressional District includes all of the Eastern Shore, as well as parts of Harford, Baltimore and Anne Arundel Counties.