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‘‘Clearly, I wouldn’t be getting in this race if constituents had not told me it’s time for a change,” said Pipkin at the second of four stops announcing his campaign. He joins four other GOP contenders hoping to unseat Gilchrest (R-Dist. 1) of Kennedyville, who has come under fire for his moderate stances on issues ranging from Iraq to the environment.

Most of the criticism has come from Sen. Andrew P. Harris, Gilchrest’s chief opponent to date. The Harris campaign issued a statement Thursday that Pipkin’s candidacy illuminates voters’ dissatisfaction with the nine-term incumbent. But it also paints Pipkin and Gilchrest as ‘‘two tax-and-spend peas in a liberal pod” who do not represent the GOP’s conservative base.

That characterization mystified Pipkin (R-Dist. 36) of Elkton, who led the Senate GOP’s fight against taxes during the recently concluded special session. ‘‘Every fiber of my being worked to stop those tax increases.”

That leading role has boosted Pipkin’s name recognition in the 1st District and could peel away votes from both Gilchrest and Harris (R-Dist. 7) of Cockeysville.

The Gilchrest re-election campaign called Pipkin the ‘‘primary challenger” because he has strong name recognition and credibility and he represents the heart of the 1st District.

‘‘We have a real fight on our hands in this race ...,” Gilchrest chief of staff Tony Caligiuri said. ‘‘E.J. is a formidable candidate. He’s not just a name on the ballot, and he’s got deep pockets.”

The other Republicans in the field — Joe Arminio, a doctor; Eastern Shore attorney John Leo Walter; and former state official Robert Joseph Banks — are not as well known or funded.

To Melissa Deckman, a political science professor at Washington College in Chestertown, Pipkin’s entry ‘‘shakes things up a bit and perhaps diffuses Harris’ attempt to steal votes away” from Gilchrest.

One leading Republican lamented that two of the party’s heavyweights are taking on Gilchrest.

‘‘I just wish we could fast forward to the surrender at Appomattox and get it over with,” said Chris Cavey, first vice chairman of the state GOP and the Baltimore County Republican Party chairman.

Despite bucking the party line during the fight over electricity deregulation last year, Pipkin presents a formidable primary challenge, said Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley (R-Dist. 4) of New Market.

‘‘E.J. is a smart, articulate person and in politics that is very effective,” Brinkley said. ‘‘He does his homework, and he communicates it exceptionally well. I think he speaks what’s on his mind, even if it’s not always in line with the caucus.”

And Pipkin is no stranger to federal campaigns, having spent $2 million on a failed bid in 2004 to unseat U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D) of Baltimore.

Pipkin, a two-term state senator, will be able to capitalize on Gilchrest’s unpopularity with the Republican base, especially among Eastern Shore voters who know him better than Harris, said one strategist.

Pipkin said his campaign would center on protecting Second Amendment rights and preventing illegal immigration, including prohibiting illegal immigrants from getting driver’s licenses or in-state tuition.

‘‘Washington must secure our borders,” he said.

Pipkin said he would push to make President Bush’s income tax cuts ‘‘permanent.”

The 1st District contest in some ways resembles what is happening in the 4th District. Rep. Albert R. Wynn, a longtime Democratic incumbent from Mitchellville, faces a challenge from Donna F. Edwards, who nearly unseated him in last year’s Democratic primary. In both races, the challengers claim the incumbents have been traitors to their party’s core values.

And like the 4th District, half in Prince George’s County and half in Montgomery, the 1st District’s geography — half on the Eastern Shore, half across the Bay — will play a role.

‘‘I have always said that this race is more geographically based than philosophically based. The Eastern Shore is more parochial than other areas of the state or country,” said Kevin Igoe, a Maryland GOP consultant. ‘‘The operative question in this race has always been how many conservatives on the Eastern Shore are willing to vote for a potential congressman on the Western Shore.”

Pipkin said he isn’t concerned that his late entry means most endorsements have already been handed out and prospective donors may already have reached their contribution limits. Harris has already secured endorsements from the conservative-leaning Club for Growth, seven of the eight GOP state senators whose districts overlap with the 1st Congressional District, and former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

The public ‘‘could care less about what the political insiders say,” Pipkin said. ‘‘We’re going straight to the people.”

Although Harris and Gilchrest have already launched several attack ads against each other, lawmakers stressed the importance of unifying behind the eventual nominee, who will likely face Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney Frank M. Kratovil Jr. (D) in the general election.

‘‘As long as people can come together and lay down their swords and champion the message of the candidate that emerges, then I think we’re all stronger for it,” said Del. Adelaide C. Eckardt (R-Dist. 37B) of Cambridge.

Although Gilchrest has fallen out of favor with the Republican base, the seat is too important for the GOP to turn their backs on him if he wins the primary, Deckman said.

The race is still Gilchrest’s to lose, she said. ‘‘Voters tend to gravitate toward what’s known and when you have two unknowns, it will help Gilchrest.”

Staff Writer Douglas Tallman and Capital News Service reporter Michael Walsh contributed to this report.