In a pretty unusual move, 20 of the Maryland's 23 other state's attorneys signed a letter defending Kratovil's conduct. That includes 13 Democrats and seven of Harris' fellow Republicans, including some whose counties overlap parts of the 1st District. (Not signing the letter were Harford County State's Attorney Joseph I. Cassilly, a Republican; Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey, a Democrat; and St. Mary's County State's Attorney Richard D. Fritz, a Republican.) They wrote that Harris' accusations were "an unconscionable example of politics at its worst."

In an interview with politickermd over the weekend, Harris stuck by his criticism and said he's been attacked plenty, too. 

What's the take-home message of all this? The race is close. If Harris were cruising to victory in a district that, by all rights, should be his in a walk, he probably wouldn't be going as negative as he is in the final days of the race. Campaigns generally try to tone down the negatives at the end to avoid leaving a sour taste in voters' mouths, but if it's close, the last week might be the right time to empty out the oppo-reasearch file.

If you need more evidence, look at the fact that the Harris camp was touting a poll last week that had the Republican up by 4. It would be surprising if he were talking up an outside poll unless his numbers were worse. On the other hand, if Kratovil had any evidence that he was clearly ahead, you can bet he'd be shouting it from the hills. So my guess is we're heading into election day with a tight race. That could change if we see a surge in Democratic turnout because of the presidential race or a repeat of Harris' extremely effective get-out-the-vote effort from the primary. But for now, it's a tough one to call.

If you're in the district, be sure to write in tomorrow and let us know how things are shaking out at your polling place.