BALTIMORE—Democrat April McClain Delaney narrowly won a U.S. House seat in Maryland’s most competitive congressional races.
The state’s sprawling 6th Congressional District covers a wide swath of rural Maryland as well as more affluent liberal suburbs of Washington. The close race wasn’t called until Saturday, four days after Election Day.
McClain Delaney, who declared victory Friday, said in a statement that she is “deeply honored and humbled” by the trust the voters have placed in her.
“Since the beginning of this campaign, our message has been clear: it’s time for common sense, common ground leadership that puts people over politics, defends our freedoms and values, and builds a future centered on unity,” she said.
A mother of four daughters whose husband previously represented the district, McClain Delaney campaigned heavily on issues impacting women. She pledged to protect access to abortion in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which largely legalized abortion in the United States.
McClain Delaney, 60, previously worked in the Biden administration’s Department of Commerce and has focused much of her career on protecting children’s online safety.
The daughter of an Idaho potato farmer, she said she can get Washington politicians to address the needs of working families.
McClain Delaney’s opponent, Republican Neil Parrott, 54, emphasized his commitment to lowering inflation, creating a stronger economy for middle-class families and stopping illegal immigration.
Parrott attacked McClain Delaney for living outside the district, saying she’s out of touch with the struggles of everyday Americans, including many 6th District voters. U.S. House members are only required to live in the state they represent.
Parrott did not concede after the race was called by The Associated Press late Saturday, with 92 percent of the votes counted. “I am extremely grateful for the huge amount of work that was put into this campaign by volunteers in all five counties. As a result of this effort and sacrifice, the Parrott campaign will wait until all the votes are counted before declaring victory or defeat,” he said in a text message.
McClain Delaney used personal funds to bolster her campaign, outspending her opponent by a significant margin. She received endorsements from big-name Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).
In a last-minute attempt to garner more votes before Election Day, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) visited western Maryland and voiced his support for Parrott, 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 spoke about the importance of strengthening Democratic presence in Congress, especially as Republicans tried to hold onto a slim House majority.
The House seat was vacated by David Trone, who ran for Senate and lost to Angela Alsobrooks in the Democratic primary earlier this year. Alsobrooks won election to the U.S. Senate.
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 move that helped Democrats.