[img_assist|nid=2969|title=State's Attorney Frank Kratovil|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=154|height=213]Kratovil Campaign Manager Tim McCann dismissed the results of a Harris campaign internal poll which showed Harris carrying a sizeable lead in the 1st Congressional District.

The poll showed state Sen. Andy Harris (R-Cockeysville) with a 16 point lead over state's Attorney Frank Kratovil (D-Stevensville).

“As Andy’s campaign manger himself said a few months back, ‘Internal polls can be skewed one way or the other.’ Our internal numbers paint a different picture so I'm not particularly worried about this small-sample poll,” wrote McCann in an email to PolitickerMD.com.

“It is telling, though, that he rushed into the field with this poll the same day he had to publicly disclose that he was struggling to hit his fundraising goals,” he added. “Talk about being desperate to change the subject. The real story is that Frank Kratovil and Andy Harris finished the second quarter only $50,000 apart in cash-on-hand before Andy’s last-minute loan.”

The Federal Election Commission Tuesday released both campaigns’ second fundraising quarter reports. Harris lead with approximately $150,000 more cash on hand than Kratovil. However, McCann referenced a last minute $100,000 loan made to the campaign from Harris himself.

McCann continued: “The only poll that really matters is the one on Election Day, and the tight fundraising race makes it clear that we're going to have the resources we need to make our case to the voters and let them decide who best represents the values of the First District.”

Harris and Kratovil are currently competing for Maryland’s 1st congressional district seat. The already tight race has become even more heated since last Tuesday’s FEC filings. In addition, Kratovil released his energy plan last week, which highly criticized his opponent. The new internal poll from the Harris campaign only elevates the competitiveness of the race.