Maryland’s District 6 Congressional Race Explained

With the general election coming up in a month, candidates around the nation are scrambling to secure seats in the national, state, and local government. The Maryland District 6 race for a seat in the House of Representatives is no different.

Democrat David Trone, Republican Amie Hoeber, Libertarian Kevin Caldwell, and Green Party member George Gluck are all running in the district that spans from Garrett County in western Maryland to Montgomery County, with Trone and Hoeber as the main contenders. The winner of the primary will be given a seat in the US House of Representatives, replacing Congressman John Delaney who is making a run for the presidency in 2020.

Both Trone and Hoeber announced their candidacy for the seat in 2017, and they have dealt with varying levels of competitiveness. Hoeber, a Stanford University graduate who has served under Reagan’s presidency and now owns a consulting firm, ran against three other candidates, capturing a solid 67.76% of the Republican vote. On the other hand, Trone, owner of the business Total Wine and More, ran a more competitive primary: among a pool of seven other candidates, he ultimately captured 39.97% of the vote. His first runner up, Aruna Miller, captured 30.72%.

Following the primary elections, both campaigns have continued to fundraise, hold events and debates, and reach voters through phone calls, advertisements, and door-knocking.

In late August 2018, however, Trone disclosed that he was receiving treatment for cancer. The campaign stated that this would have no influence on his ability as a candidate and policy, and that he was scheduled for surgery to get his kidney removed. Furthermore, the campaign stated that Trone would return to the campaign trail as soon as possible.

His surgery was scheduled on September 11, and was released from the hospital on September 25. As his campaign promised, Trone immediately jumped back into the race, scheduling fundraiser events and scheduling debates with Hoeber on Oct. 23 and 24. On Oct. 2, Trone also publicly announced that he was cancer free.

In terms of policy, Hoeber’s positions represent those of traditional Republicans, hoping to bring Governor Larry Hogan’s policies to the national level as well as limit the oversight of the national government. On her website, she states that America’s three greatest needs are as follows: improving the country’s infrastructure, combating the opioid epidemic, and promoting public safety and national security. Trone, on the other hand, favors traditionally Democratic policies, and hopes to bring more power to the government in order to solve the issues of infrastructure, public health, and security.

The candidates have demonstrated starkly different approaches to fundraising. Trone promotes an entirely self-funded campaign, arguing that by funding himself, he is free from the influence of special interest groups and can act in his constituents’ best interest. However, many of his critics, including Hoeber, have accused Trone of attempting to buy the election for himself.

Alternatively, Hoeber relies on fundraising from constituents and Super-PACS. In the primaries, she was reported to have spent approximately $200,000. However, numbers have not been released for the general elections.

The district has historically been rated to be more Democratic than the national average, though no polls have been conducted. The general elections for this seat in Maryland are on Nov. 6, and early voting is from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1.

Article by Moco Student staff writer Shevani Tewari of Richard Montgomery High School