Former U.S. Commerce Department official April McClain Delaney (D) is the first candidate to go on the air with a TV spot in the open 6th District congressional race.
Delaney’s 30-second ad will begin airing Tuesday on cable stations throughout the district, and she is expected to be on TV through the May 14 primary.
The introductory spot shows a picture of Delaney with her husband, former U.S. Rep. John Delaney (D), and their four daughters, along with a picture of the candidate with President Biden. The rest of the footage is either Delaney speaking to the camera or shown meeting with voters as she provides a voice-over.
“Having raised four daughters, I know how to work problems out,” Delaney says at the top of the spot. “I’m April McClain Delaney, running for Congress to rein in MAGA extremists and find common ground. I served in the Biden administration as a tech policy leader. And helped build a non-profit dedicated to protecting kids on-line.
“Let’s safeguard kids’ privacy, address the mental health crisis — and for my four daughters and yours, regain the right to choose. I’m April McClain Delaney and I approve this message — it’s time for some common sense.”
Delaney is one of 16 Democrats seeking the seat being vacated after three terms by Rep. David Trone (D), who is running for U.S. Senate. She showed the most money raised and banked of any of the candidates after her first fundraising quarter and is using SKDK, a heavyweight Democratic media firm, for her campaign.
The 6th District takes in a part of northwestern Montgomery County and then moves into the Western Maryland counties of Frederick, Washington, Allegany and Garrett. It’s almost certain to be the most competitive Maryland congressional district in the fall general election.
Seven Republicans are competing for the seat, including former state Del. Neil C. Parrott, the two-time GOP nominee against Trone, and former Del. Dan Cox, who was the Republican nominee for governor in 2022.
Delaney’s ad comes on the heels of announcing endorsements Monday from a range of current and former elected officials and Democratic leaders, including former state Sen. Ron Young (D-Frederick), Frederick County Councilmembers Jerry Donald and Renee Knapp, Hagerstown City Councilmember Peter Perini, two former state Democratic chairs, Kathleen Matthews and Terry Lierman, and former Frederick County Democratic Chair Myrna Whitworth.
“As a Western Marylander, I understand the Republican opposition,” Perini said. “We must nominate a Democrat candidate who can win in November in this very competitive race for the 6th congressional seat, and I believe that April McClain Delaney is that candidate.”
Josh Kurtz
Founding editor
Founding Editor Josh Kurtz is a veteran chronicler of Maryland politics and government. He began covering the State House in 1995 for The Gazette newspapers, and has been writing about state and local politics ever since. He was an editor at Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper, for eight years, and for eight years was the editor of E&E Daily, which covers energy and environmental policy on Capitol Hill. For 6 1/2 years Kurtz wrote a weekly column on state politics for Center Maryland and has written for several other Maryland publications as well. Kurtz regularly gives speeches and appears on TV and radio shows to discuss Maryland politics.
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