Current:Home > ContactIn Maryland, competitive US House race focuses on abortion, economy and immigration-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
In Maryland, competitive US House race focuses on abortion, economy and immigration
lotradecoin FAQ View Date:2024-12-25 21:38:36
Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the presidential election.
FREDERICK, Md. (AP) — In Maryland’s most competitive U.S. House race, voters on Tuesday will decide whether the sprawling 6th Congressional District will flip red after being represented by Democrats for over a decade.
Democrat April McClain Delaney, whose husband previously represented the district, is facing off against conservative Republican Neil Parrott, a former Maryland state lawmaker.
In a diverse district that covers a wide swath of rural western Maryland as well as more affluent liberal suburbs of Washington, D.C., the two candidates are seeking to paint one another as extreme and out of touch.
A mother of four daughters, McClain Delaney has campaigned heavily on issues impacting women, including abortion. She pledged to protect reproductive freedoms in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to end the constitutional right to an abortion and leave such questions to individual states. She said the issue is personal because she once experienced an ectopic pregnancy that could have been fatal if restrictive abortion laws had limited her access to lifesaving medical care.
Parrott, meanwhile, has deflected questions about reproductive rights on the campaign trail. He made his anti-abortion stance clear during 12 years in the Maryland State House, but now, he says it’s “really a non-issue” because he doesn’t believe either political party can get enough congressional votes to regulate abortion nationally — a position similar to that of former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee.
Parrott, 54, has worked to move the conversation to friendlier terrain, emphasizing his commitment to lowering inflation, creating a stronger economy for middle-class families and stopping illegal immigration. He says his opponent — who lives several miles outside the district in an affluent suburb of Washington — is disconnected from the struggles of everyday Americans, including people in the 6th Congressional District.
U.S. House members are only required to live in the state they represent.
McClain Delaney, 60, previously worked in the Biden administration’s Department of Commerce and has focused much of her legal career on protecting children’s online safety. She has used personal funds to bolster her campaign and has received endorsements from big-name Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin. She’s also outspent Parrott by a wide margin, according to AdImpact, which tracks campaign spending.
Parrott is a longtime resident of Hagerstown, a small city in western Maryland surrounded by farmland. A traffic engineer by trade, he said he can relate to people dealing with high grocery bills and unaffordable housing.
In a last-minute attempt to garner more votes before Election Day, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise visited western Maryland on Thursday and held a news conference along with other Republican leaders voicing his support for Parrott and calling the candidate “an engineer who knows how to break the gridlock in Washington.”
Hours later, McClain Delaney appeared in a Washington suburb alongside Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other state and local officials who spoke about the importance of strengthening Democratic presence in Congress, especially as Republicans try to hold onto a slim House majority.
The 2024 election is here. This is what to know:
- Complete coverage: The latest Election Day updates from our reporters.
- Election results: Know the latest race calls from AP as votes are counted across the U.S.
- Voto a voto: Sigue la cobertura de AP en español de las elecciones en EEUU.
News outlets around the world count on the AP for accurate U.S. election results. Since 1848, the AP has been calling races up and down the ballot. Support us. Donate to the AP.
“Every seat matters,” Raskin, of Maryland’s 8th Congressional District, said at the campaign event.
McClain Delaney argues that she’s more ideologically in line with most 6th District voters than her opponent. She calls herself a “common sense, common ground” candidate. The daughter of an Idaho potato farmer, she says she can get Washington politicians to address the needs of working families.
McClain Delaney has attacked Parrott’s record in the Maryland House of Delegates, saying his positions are extreme, particularly on issues affecting women. She sent out mailers criticizing Parrott for voting against state legislation to eliminate marriage as a defense against prosecution in certain sexual assault cases.
Parrott, in turn, has accused McClain Delaney of taking things out of context. In a recent interview, Parrott said he opposed the marital defense proposal because of its potential to be weaponized in child custody cases. He said he supports the right to abortion in cases of rape, incest and when the mother’s life is at risk.
Tensions between the candidates erupted into a heated exchange during a public forum last month, demonstrating how even down-ballot races are becoming contentious and personal in the current political climate.
“Shame on her,” Parrott said, pointing a finger at McClain Delaney as members of the audience chanted and jeered.
The House seat was vacated by David Trone, who ran for Senate and lost to Angela Alsobrooks in the Democratic primary earlier this year.
The 6th District hasn’t always favored Democrats. It was represented by Republican Roscoe Bartlett for 20 years before McClain Delaney’s husband, John Delaney, won the seat in 2012 following a redistricting that helped Democrats.
Maryland’s congressional delegation is currently all-male, with eight Democrats and one Republican. Three women are vying for open seats this election cycle, when Maryland voters will also consider a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Collin Gosselin Says He Was Discharged from the Marines Due to Being Institutionalized by Mom Kate
- John Robinson, successful football coach at USC and with the LA Rams, has died at 89
- Teachers in 3 Massachusetts communities continue strike over pay, paid parental leave
- Francesca Farago Details Health Complications That Led to Emergency C-Section of Twins
- Oklahoma city approves $7M settlement for man wrongfully imprisoned for decades
- Why Cynthia Erivo Needed Prosthetic Ears for Wicked
- What’s the secret to growing strong, healthy nails?
- US Election Darkens the Door of COP29 as It Opens in Azerbaijan
- Infamous LA officer’s gun found in $1 million watch robbery case
- Video shows masked man’s apparent attempt to kidnap child in NYC; suspect arrested
Ranking
- Usher Cancels Atlanta Concert Hours Before Show to Rest and Heal
- Auburn surges, while Kansas remains No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll
- What does the top five look like and other questions facing the College Football Playoff committee
- Apologetic rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine gets 45 days in prison for probation violations
- 'Love Island UK' stars Molly-Mae Hague, Tommy Fury announce split after 5 years
- John Robinson, former USC Trojans and Los Angeles Rams coach, dies at 89
- Should Georgia bench Carson Beck with CFP at stake against Tennessee? That's not happening
- Benny Blanco Reveals Selena Gomez's Rented Out Botanical Garden for Lavish Date Night
Recommendation
-
Hurricane Ernesto aims for Bermuda after leaving many in Puerto Rico without power or water
-
The 10 Best Cashmere Sweaters and Tops That Feel Luxuriously Soft and Are *Most Importantly* Affordable
-
Judge extends the time to indict the driver accused of killing Johnny Gaudreau and his brother
-
School workers accused of giving special needs student with digestive issue hot Takis, other abuse
-
Emily in Paris' Ashley Park Reveals How Lily Collins Predicted Her Relationship With Costar Paul Forman
-
All the Ways Megan Fox Hinted at Her Pregnancy With Machine Gun Kelly
-
Mississippi rising, Georgia falling in college football NCAA Re-Rank 1-134 after Week 11
-
Tampa Bay Rays' Wander Franco arrested again in Dominican Republic, according to reports