After a bruising contest that saw negative attack ads and arguments about contributions from political action committees, state Sen. Andy Harris defeated nine-term incumbent Rep. Wayne Gilchrest  and state Sen. E.J. Pipkin in the Feb. 12 GOP primary in Maryland's 1st Congressional District.

Since that time, Gilchrest has been highly critical of Harris, leading many to believe that he may endorse the Democratic candidate, Frank Kratovil. His longtime aide, Lynn Caligiuri, joined the Kratovil campaign in April as a finance coordinator.

Harris picked-up Pipkin's endorsement. During the primary, he already had the backing of other big name Republicans like former Gov. Bob Ehrlich and former State Department official Ellen Sauerbrey, but the national party's standard-bearer, Sen. John McCain, endorsed Gilchrest.

Despite the divisions between the incumbent congressman and the party's nominee, Harris Campaign Manager Chris Meekins told PolitickerMD.com today that Republicans are "unified behind Andy Harris."

When asked about reaching out to the congressman's financial supporters, Meekins said, "There are a lot of Gilchrest donors who have given to the campaign."

He said he did not want to specifically name anyone "out of respect for their privacy."

"We are the party of lower taxes and less government spending," Meekins said of the GOP, saying that message would appeal to Republicans, Independents, and moderate Democrats.

Asked what concern he had heard most often expressed while on the campaign trail, Meekins said, "People want to know why gas prices are so high and what we can do to lower them."

Meekins said Harris has "already called for a summer suspension of the gas tax" and highlighted "the need to start producing domestic oil."

The state senator supports drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) because, according to Meekins, "we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil."

Meekins said "lowering energy costs" would be a campaign theme of particular importance when courting Independent voters.

Harris and Kratovil will need those voters to turn out on Election Day in their favor.