Lynn Caligiuri

The Baltimore Sun reports that U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-Kennedyville), who was defeated for re-election in February's GOP primary by state Sen. Andy Harris (R-Cockeysville), will break from his party and support the Democratic candidate, Frank Kratovil (D-Stevensville).

The two will stump in Annapolis and Easton today.

The Sun learned of the impending endorsement from a "senior member of Gilchrest's staff." Several of his staff members are now with Kratovil, including his chief of staff Tony Caligiuri, campaign aide Lynn Caligiuri, and longtime district director Karen Willis.

Lynn Caligiuri also remains the campaign treasurer to the Friends of Connie Morella for Congress Committee, which still has more than $20,000 in the bank.

When Frank Kratovil announced that Lynn Caligiuri, a campaign consultant to Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, would be joining the Democrat's campaign after her Republican boss of more than a decade and a half was defeated in the February primary, they didn't say anything about whether she would still work for Gilchrest.

According to the latest filings from the Federal Election Commission, she's working for both of them.

After a bruising contest that saw negative attack ads and arguments about contributions from Political Action Committees (PAC's), 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 First 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.

Responding to accusations leveled against state Sen. Andy Harris (R-Cockeysville) by his opponent in Maryland's First Congressional District, Frank Kratovil (D-Stevensville), Harris campaign manager Chris Meekins said today that his candidate has a history of "reaching across the aisle" to work with Democrats in the legislator.

"(Harris) supported a paper trail for electronic voting machines and he has continuously opposed wasteful spending regardless of whether it is a Democratic or Republican governor," Meekins said to highlight his point.

Speaking in Towson last night, Kratovil said Harris has voted, and will continue to vote "straight party line," and would be "one of the most conservative people in Congress."

He also said the Harris campaign was overplaying the significance of his relationship with Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), calling the governor a "friend," but adding, "We don't agree on everything," namely illegal immigration.

"We don't have to link him to Gov. O'Malley," Meekins told PolitickerMD.com. "He's already done that."