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CENTREVILLE — Candidates for Maryland’s 1st Congressional District discussed agriculture, Chesapeake Bay restoration, healthcare, affordability and energy policy during a forum Sunday at Wye River Upper School.

The League of Women Voters chapters of Queen Anne’s, Kent and Mid-Shore co-hosted forums featuring Democratic and Republican candidates for Maryland’s 1st Congressional District.

The primary, slated for June 23, will determine which two candidates will face off for the 1st District seat in November. Early voting for the primary begins Thursday.

The 1st District includes the entire Eastern Shore, along with Harford County and parts of Baltimore County.

1st Congressional District Democrats

The first panel featured Democratic primary candidates Victor Guidice, Dan Schwartz and Randi White. George Walish did not attend.

Schwartz highlighted his work with state and federal regulators to protect consumers from financial misconduct.

“Congress needs to take back its control,� he said.

Schwartz said he has assembled an agricultural advisory group that includes farmers and watermen and supports prioritizing sustainable energy projects.

One in four residents in the district receive Medicaid benefits, Schwartz said, adding that reductions in government services would disproportionately affect vulnerable residents and could push more people into poverty.

Schwartz also advocated for tax code changes that would require wealthy Americans to contribute more in taxes.

“We’ve got to build a big tent of support,� he said.

White said her experiences as a Black woman and single mother have shaped her understanding of the consequences of inadequate local representation.

The Eastern Shore lacks healthcare specialists, she said, and families need stronger educational advocacy.

White said Maryland should create conditions that encourage small-business growth and attract new employers.

She also called for restoring programs that support Black and veteran farmers and increasing incentives for farmers who provide food to underserved communities through farmers markets.

“Our Bay is our lives,� White said, adding that businesses should be held accountable for pollution and runoff affecting waterways.

White also voiced support for offshore wind development. She argued recent legal decisions have weakened protections under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and said that concern motivates her advocacy for marginalized communities.

Guidice said corporate influence has become too powerful in politics and contributes to many of the challenges facing residents.

He said provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would harm Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts and increase costs for consumers.

“We are being priced out of our lives,� Guidice said.

Health care remains one of the largest expenses for many families, he said, and should become more affordable and universally accessible.

Guidice said renewable energy investments, particularly solar power, are important, though he believes traditional energy sources, including coal, should continue to have a role.

He also advocated eliminating property taxes.

“If you have to continue paying the rest of your life to own something, you don’t really own it,� he said.

1st Congressional District Republicans

The Republican forum featured incumbent Rep. Andy Harris and challenger Chris Bruneau.

Harris, who chairs the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, said he believes a significant portion of federal spending is wasteful and that Congress should focus on accountability and efficiency.

Harris said his committee fully funded U.S. Department of Agriculture programs while reducing spending elsewhere, particularly in foreign aid programs.

He said Medicaid spending is projected to increase substantially over the next decade and argued the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would slow the rate of growth rather than reduce benefits.

Harris said he supports program integrity measures and work requirements for some Medicaid recipients.

Advances in science and technology can help farmers better manage nutrients and reduce runoff into the Chesapeake Bay, he said.

Harris also argued that Maryland energy policies have contributed to rising costs.

“The cost of energy enters into the price of everything,� he said.

Harris said maintaining a congressional district centered on the Eastern Shore is important to ensuring the region’s interests are represented in Washington.

“That’s why legislative districts in Maryland, for the state legislature specifically, have to be geographically compact,� Harris said.

Bruneau, an Army veteran and businessman, said partisan politics has contributed to stagnation in Washington, D.C., and that elected officials should focus more on community needs than party affiliation.

“We need to get in line with what represents the needs of the people of Maryland’s 1st Congressional District,� he said.

Bruneau said several of Maryland’s poorest counties are located on the Eastern Shore and that poverty remains a root issue requiring greater attention.

He said federal funding reductions have affected the region’s agricultural economy and pledged to advocate for both agriculture and the timber industry if elected.

Bruneau also cited the buildup of sediment behind the Conowingo Dam as an issue that should be addressed to reduce phosphorus loads entering the Chesapeake Bay.

To improve affordability and reduce waste, Bruneau said he would seek changes in how the U.S. Treasury reports federal spending.

“We’ve got to get back to the fundamentals of the Constitution of the United States,� Bruneau said.