ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Democratic voters in Maryland’s state capital and the wealthy suburbs south and west of Baltimore will have a difficult decision when choosing their likely next member of Congress on Tuesday.
They could elect a former police officer launched to national stardom after defending the Capitol during the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, riot, or one of their state legislators who has passed bills focused on local core issues like healthcare, green jobs, flooding and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.
After January 6, Harry Dunn became one of the faces representing the hundreds of police officers who put their lives on the line to protect the Capitol when it was attacked by supporters of then-President Donald Trump who sought to stop the 2020 certification of Joe Biden. . electoral victory. Dunn gave emotional testimony during televised committee hearings investigating Jan. 6, became a fixture on the cable news circuit and wrote a book last fall about his ordeal and life.
“I would be a liar if I didn’t say I was anxious and a little stressed about this whole process. I mean, I literally walked away from a long-term career in the federal government,” Dunn, 40, said in an interview with NBC News on Friday.
“But at the end of the day, I couldn’t live with myself if I had the opportunity to try to do something to stop Donald Trump’s agenda,” Dunn continued, adding, “He said he wants to be a dictator. , and you have members of Congress who will support you on this. So I think right now we need fighters and I think I’m the right person for the job.”
A Maryland native, Dunn doesn’t live in the state’s deep blue 3rd Congressional District — he says he lives about nine miles away and has family who lives there — but the former cop’s national stature and celebrity have helped him increase your fundraising to amazing levels. The political newcomer has raised about $4.6 million since announcing his candidacy in January to replace retiring nine-term Democratic Rep. John Sarbanes, surpassing the money raised by his two main primary rivals, the state senators Sarah Elfreth and Clarence Lam.
As Trump seeks a political comeback this fall, Democratic voters here are grappling with the question of whether they want to be represented by a man who literally fought off protesters seeking to keep Trump in power or choose between experienced lawmakers who have a track record of delivering. of results. the district.
Elfreth “has a lot of goodwill. She worked really hard in the General Assembly, so she’s in the know,” said former Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Md. “And then you have Harry Dunn, who captured the national imagination. And he has to figure out how to turn this into a political victory.”
‘I voted for her, not against him’
Outside an early voting location at the Broadneck Library in Annapolis, Kathryn Schulke said she and her husband voted for Elfreth, who tried to help her family find vaccines during the pandemic.
“I actually called one day and she answered the phone, which took me completely by surprise,” Schulke, a retired nurse, said Thursday. She had trouble getting a vaccine for her son, who has cystic fibrosis.
“She couldn’t really solve the problem for me,” Schulke continued, “but her compassion and her ability to listen and her ability to understand and then tell me what she was doing, I’m probably a Sarah Elfreth voter for life.”
“I voted for her, not against him,” she added.
Moments later, Elfreth arrived at the library with a campaign aide to thank voters for showing up. Foot traffic was light at the early voting location, but a mother and two daughters spotted Elfreth and approached her. The mother noted that one of Elfreth’s priorities is protecting the environment, and the state senator pointed out that Democratic Gov. Wes Moore that day had signed his bill expanding solar energy in Maryland.
“The people I talk to on the trail… really want someone who has a track record of getting things done. Legislating is not easy. It’s an art form to negotiate and work with others who oppose you,” Elfreth, 35, said in an interview.
These are “people who are on opposite sides of an issue, and how you bring them together and work out the details and find common ground and get things done on behalf of your constituents. It’s not an easy task and I love this part of the job; I do it well. I pass more bills in the State House than any of my colleagues.”
Lam, 43, a faculty physician at Johns Hopkins University, is the only doctor and only Asian American in the state Senate. He’s also touting her legislative record, specifically her work on health policy, including capping the cost of insulin and expanding Medicaid to ensure all mothers have greater access to prenatal and postnatal care.
“As far as a lot of the work I’ve done, a lot of it has been in the area of health and public health,” Lam said.
Pro-Israel group spends a lot
Elfreth had raised nearly $1.5 million by the end of April, while Lam had raised about $736,000. The other 19 candidates in the crowded field, including state delegates Mark Chang, Terri Hill and Mike Rogers, are far behind.
Despite Dunn’s huge fundraising advantage, spending dynamics have changed in recent weeks. The United Democracy Project, a super PAC linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a powerful pro-Israel group, pumped more than $4 million into the race to support Elfreth — most of it in television ads airing in the Baltimore market.
“To be frank, it sucks,” said Dunn, who has repeatedly expressed support for Israel. “Because, yes, I have been doing the work. I’ve been outside [getting] popular support.”
“It is disheartening to see that our democracy is now for sale to whatever interests are capable of investing millions of dollars in their preferred candidate,” Lam added.
Under federal law, Elfreth cannot coordinate with the super PAC and said he has no idea why he is getting air coverage from the UDP, which did not respond to a request for comment.
She said her and Dunn’s positions on Israel and the Gaza war are not very different: “I believe in a long-term two-state solution, a lasting two-state solution, an end to the violence, the return of the hostages, very similar to everyone else.”
On a recent announcement, dubbed “Choice,” Dunn’s campaign criticized Elfreth for receiving support from a “right-wing super PAC funded by Trump donors” and “voting 44 times with the Republicans.” Some UDP‘biggest donors they typically donate to Republican Party campaigns and groups.
Elfreth said he is unapologetic about his bipartisan record and working across the aisle. “It’s funny, because I’ve been called a lot of names in my life,” she said. “But the MAGA Republican is not one of them.”
‘Is this America?’
For 15 years, Dunn was a familiar face in the halls of the Capitol, and a face hard to miss, standing at 6-foot-10. But he rose to national prominence after giving powerful testimony before Congress on January 6.
The bipartisan panel investigating the riot held an initial hearing with four law enforcement officials, including Dunn, to mark the beginning of its fact-finding mission.
“I sat on a bench with a friend of mine who is also a black Capitol Police officer and told him about the racial slurs I had experienced,” Dunn told the panel, recalling his experience during the Capitol riots. “I got very emotional and started shouting: ‘How [expletive] Can something like this happen? Is this America?’”
Dunn attended nearly every hearing held by the committee. Throughout the process, he became close to panel members and Democratic members of the House leadership — several of whom endorsed his candidacy, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland.
But Dunn said his candidacy is about more than his actions on Jan. 6.
“I care about, you know, affordable health care. I care about affordable housing, I care about banning assault rifles, AR-15s. I care about these things. I care about voting rights. I care about codifying Roe v. Wade in federal legislation,” he said. “There are a lot of things beyond just ‘Jan. 6Harry Dunn.’”
Dunn added that he surprised “a lot of people” during the campaign. “When they say, ‘Wow, you’re more than just a Trump hater’ — I mean, I wear it like a badge of honor,” he joked.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
