First Congressional District candidate forum April 10 in Wye Mills

The six candidates from both major parties seeking Maryland’s 1st District Congressional seat will take part in a forum at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 10.

The free and nonpartisan event will be conducted by Leagues of Women Voters serving Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties in advance of the primary election taking place April 14-21 and 26.  Attendees may  submit written questions to the candidates as part of the program.

The 1st Congressional District includes all of Maryland’s Eastern Shore and parts of several other counties.  It is  represented by Andy Harris, a resident of Harford County. Representative Harris, now completing his third term, is being challenged by Republican opponents  Michael Smigiel , a former state delegate and Cecil resident; Sean Jackson, a commander of the State Police; and Jonathan Goff, a Harford resident who also challenged Harris in 2014.

Democrats vying for that party’s Congressional nomination are Jim Ireton and Joe Werner. Ireton, of Wicomico, is an educator who has served as a councilman and mayor of Salisbury. Werner is a lawyer and resident of Harford.

All candidates will respond within time limits to League questions given them in advance, then entertain queries from the audience.

Primaries in Maryland are closed, which means that persons registered in a party will be selecting candidates only from among those in their party.

Signs will direct voters to the Cadbury Auditorium, in the Kent/Humanities building on the Chesapeake campus.  For more information on the primary, which also will select nominees for president and one Maryland senator, see the League-sponsored website, vote411.org. Site data includes polling locations and early voting options based on the user’s address.