Prominent political observer Stu Rothenberg put out his latest House rankings on Tuesday, and yet again, the 1st District was not on his list of competitive races -- meaning it's safe for the incumbent party and its nominee, Andy Harris.

But that doesn't mean Rothenberg hasn't noticed Democratic challenger Frank Kratovil. This morning, the political handicapper wrote of “those lower-tier contests that some consultants and bloggers are pushing” that are not among “the 40 to 50 GOP House seats at risk this cycle.”

For the most part, Rothenberg says the hype around another “30-plus seat Democratic year is overblown,” but [o]f all the longer shots," Kratovil is one of two Democratic candidates who "look to be serious contenders.”

He bases this idea off of Kratovil’s “strong backing of fellow Marylanders, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D) and DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen, who can help him with fundraising and direct party resources into the race.”

Now, keep in mind that Rothenberg’s latest list has 64 races on it which he saw competitive enough for ranking. Perhaps Kratovil is number 66?

Kratovil has yet to make an appearance on the list yet. And if he doesn’t this fall, it won’t be because Rothenberg hasn’t been paying attention.