It may be harder this time around for the U.S. Rep. David Trone to keep his seat representing Maryland’s 6th congressional District against Republican challenger and state Del. Neil Parrott. In 2020, Trone beat Parrott for the seat by a 20 percentage point margin when the district was solidly Democratic. It still ‘leans Democratic’ even after new lines were drawn this year, according to the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
In December 2021, Parrott and a national conservative organization Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit over newly drawn congressional districts in Maryland trying to ensure the 6th District included the northern half of Frederick County, which trends more conservative.
In October 2020, there were 231,285 eligible active voters registered as Democrats, 150,393 Republicans, 7,444 third-party voters and 113,175 unaffiliated voters in Maryland’s 6th congressional District.
As of Oct. 22, that district has 207,072 eligible active voters registered as Democrats, 173,886 Republicans, 7,937 third-party voters and 120,662 unaffiliated voters in the 6th District.
In the past two years, the 6th District gained 23,493 eligible active voters registered as Republicans and lost 24,213 Democrats.
House Republicans see the 6th District as the only competitive race in Maryland, one that can flip red and count toward a potential majority in the House of Representatives.
The 6th District includes the city of Gaithersburg in Montgomery County, a culturally diverse region and Democratic stronghold. It also includes all of Frederick County which tends to be more liberal in the south and conservative to the north. The 6th District encompasses both Washington and Garrett counties which reliably voted for former president Donald Trump in 2020.
The mixture makes for an ideologically diverse area.
Candidates made their final overtures to voters in recent weeks, which included a visit from a former Republican presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in Maryland.
Cruz’s late October visit was an attempt to rally Parrott’s base before Election Day.
“People are energized, people are ready to change the path we're on,” Cruz told WYPR. “I believe Neil is going to win on Election Day and flip the seat red, and it's going to be part of a red wave sweeping the entire country.”
Supporters at the rally said economic and cultural issues were most important to them.
“I don’t like the way Biden has handled everything,” said James Miller, a rally participant. “Especially with fuel because energy prices drive everything. Flat out he has threatened to kill energy. Coal, fuel. He’s threatened to kill it.”
Andrew Pedula said he was concerned about what is being taught in schools.
“Don’t take my tax money and use it to bring transv**** into class to read stories to kids,” he said. “You don’t have the money for music or arts in the class, but you have money for this? Really?”
Drag Queen Story Hour is an international non-profit where drag performers, typically cisgender men who dress as women, read books to children in libraries, schools and bookstores as a free event. Right-wing activists protested a Montgomery County library reading.
Other supporters pointed out critical race theory in schools as a reason they are voting for Parrott.
Even though critical race theory is a college-level concept that is not taught in K-12 schools in Maryland, one resident said she took her children out of a charter school over the threat of such an educational curriculum.
“It’s extremely divisive and I’m a Christian and there’s not a single facet of Critical Race Theory that is pro-Gospel,” said Angie Custer. “CRT tells you if you are white you’re an oppressor no matter how old you are, no matter where you live, no matter what you’ve done. I can’t teach my white children that, I can’t.”
Staunch Trone supporters, on the other hand, say they are concerned with completely different issues.
Elly Shaw-Belbidia said that reproductive rights, the cost of higher education and equal rights were important issues for her.
For example, Trone supports abortion rights and Parrott is anti-abortion.
AJ Williamson volunteers for the Trone campaign and says that education is a major issue for him.
“I think that funding and support for our public schools is a big part of it. And then there's also issues about the values that we want to have in our public schools,” he said. “Candidates like Congressman Trone, want to make sure that our schools are consistently a safe place for LGBTQ students, that they're teaching inclusive values as well.”
Trone told WYPR that he is a moderate candidate, who is not pushing for positions championed by more liberal Democrats.
Trone owns Total Wine & More, the largest private wine retailer in the country with 220 stores in 27 states.
Trone is running on issues like holding gas companies accountable for high profits as prices at the pump stay high. He wants fiscal responsibility in government and wants to focus resources on the opioid crisis and mental health.
Parrott, on the other hand, is betting a more conservative stance is what will win over voters in the 6th District this cycle. For example, he wants to cut the federal government budget, lower taxes and is against canceling student debt. In Montgomery, Frederick and Washington counties he plans to get federal funding to widen the highways.
