CAMBRIDGE, Md. - Congressman Andy Harris has released a condemnation of political violence and intimidation after he says he and his family were threatened and a supporter was allegedly assaulted at a recent candidate forum in Cambridge.
In a statement released Wednesday, Harris’ campaign said he and his family received threatening messages before and after the League of Women Voters candidate forum. The messages included a statement that “blood will be drawn,” according to Harris’ team.
The campaign says law enforcement has been notified and are investigating.
“Before this forum, we got communication blood will be drawn at this event and then afterward we have had to refer 8 separate communications to the capitol police for threats,” Congressman Harris told WBOC on Thursday.
Harris also said assault charges had been filed following the forum against a man the campaign described as “a Democratic Central Committee member from a neighboring county.” The victim of the alleged assault is a Harris supporter, according to the campaign.
According to court records obtained by WBOC, Lance A. Simon, of Easton, has been charged with one count of misdemeanor second-degree assault and one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct in connection to the incident.
According to charging documents acquired by WBOC, the victim said Simon “struck [him] in the right shoulder without provocation” while Simon was seated behind him at the event.
Cambridge Police Department Chief Justin Todd tells WBOC police assigned to security detail during the event responded to a “commotion” after one man reportedly struck another with a hat.
Should he be convicted of both misdemeanor charges against him, Simon faces up to 10 years and two months in prison and/or up to $3,000 in fines.
“It’s disappointing that political violence and intimidation has reached the Eastern Shore of Maryland,” Harris said in a statement on Wednesday, Oct. 14. “Although League of Women Voters forums used to be events with civil discourse, agitators bussed in from as far away as New Jersey showed up yesterday for one purpose - to disrupt and heckle. One Democratic Central Committee member even assaulted one of my supporters and had to be escorted out, with charges filed.”
The allegations add further turmoil to an event that already had no shortage of controversy. As WBOC previously reported, Congressman Harris accused a reporter of breaking Maryland privacy laws for filming him after the candidate forum and clashed with the audience at points during the event.
WBOC reached out to the Talbot County Democratic Central Committee, which refutes Harris’ claim that the assault suspect is a member.
“Lance Simon is not a member of the Talbot County Democratic Central Committee,” the committee told WBOC on Thursday. “The Committee does not comment on legal matters regarding private individuals.”
While currently not an official member of the committee, Simon was elected in the recent Maryland primary to the position and is set to begin his term in 2027, according to Maryland’s election website.
WBOC reached out to Simon on Thursday who said he could not comment due to the ongoing investigation. His calls for a boycott of a local restaurant over political signs previously drew the criticism of Talbot County Sheriff Joe Gamble and sparked a debate around Easton’s sign ordinances.
Harris’ campaign called for a “return to civility in politics once again for the sake of the country” in their statement Wednesday.
