CAMBRIDGE, Md. - More than 100 protesters gathered along Route 50 in Cambridge on Thursday to protest Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), voicing frustration over his leadership and lack of accessibility.
The protest, organized by Cambridge Indivisible, took place outside the Cambridge Hyatt, where Harris was delivering a speech. A heavy police presence was seen in and around the area.
“We feel like Andy Harris has not… he’s been unavailable,” said protester Theresa Night-McFadden, claiming he has not responded to any requests for a town hall.
Michelle Fowle, founder of Cambridge Indivisible and organizer of the protest added, "He won't meet with us. He hides from us, he locks us out of his office. We can't get in. So, we're just going to go wherever he is. We're going to meet him there and say 'you're missing in action.' Do you want to represent us or not?"
Harris dismissed the criticism, questioning whether the demonstrators were his constituents.
“Not sure they’re my constituents, they’re brought in by buses. I don’t know where those buses come from. And we know that the national Indivisibles are involved. So we believe that a lot of those people aren’t even constituents,” Harris told WBOC. “My constituents voted for me overwhelmingly. We don’t get a lot of calls in the office from constituents who say, ‘Look, you know, we want an entire, in-person town hall.’ … We have a tele-town hall scheduled March 25. We’re going to [have] 5,000 people on it.”
Fowle said she opposes Harris’s leadership, specifically his support for pausing funding within the Inflation Reduction Act, which she claims is harming Maryland farmers.
“Hurting farmers. They’re hurting veterans, they’re hurting seniors, they’re hurting working families, all to give money to billionaires,” Fowle said.
Harris defended his stance, saying he remains committed to supporting Maryland’s agricultural industry.
“With regards to funding the farm bill, I just met with the secretary of agriculture. We’re going to fully fund the crop insurance,” Harris said, adding that assistance for dealing with bird flu is also included.
The protest remained peaceful as demonstrators sought to make their voices heard.