‘Your face should not be on the milk carton’ : Rep. Raskin slams no-show Rep. Andy Harris at packed town hall

“What’s interesting is that the people who are showing up are not paid protesters, but the people who are not showing up are paid politicians,” Raskin said, referencing the GOP accusation that the town halls were attended by paid actors.

On stage near Raskin, event organizers put a photo of Harris on a giant cardboard milk carton, the word “MISSING” written above his face. And Raskin took another jab. “If your name is on the ballot, your face should not be on the milk carton,” he said.

The Baltimore Banner reports that “the Democratic representative made the nearly two-hour drive Saturday from his Montgomery County district at the invitation of Cambridge and Eastern Shore Indivisible, activist groups who have criticized Harris for not holding in-person town halls recently. The standing room-only crowd packed Mace’s Lane Middle School and enthusiastically rewarded Raskin’s pithy criticisms, and his takedowns of Harris, with raucous applause and many standing ovations.”

(Democrats may well decide the empty chair strategy is a good one moving forward in other red districts, making clear who will show up for constituents.) rmk

“If I was sent to Washington and I was just watching them begin to try to dismantle Social Security, I’m not going to be showing up, either,” he said, mocking Harris’ decision not to attend the town hall.

Maryland Republicans are denying Andy Harris’ dismal record and calling Raskin a liar.

According to the Banner, the Harris office did not respond to requests for comments. He did announce on X a telephone town hall tonight but there appears to be a problem with the link.

“They called me up and asked if I would come because there hadn’t been a town hall,” Raskin said, when asked about his coming to the mostly red district, “and how could I say no?”