ANAPOLIS, Maryland – Harry Dunn, a former police officer who defended the U.S. Capitol against rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, is running in a crowded Democratic primary in Maryland, a field of 22 with several state lawmakers including state Sen. Sarah Elfreth in a race competitive for a seat in Congress.
Dunn’s celebrity helped bring national attention to the primary to replace outgoing Rep. John Sarbanes. The Democrat announced in October that he would not seek a tenth term.
Supporters in the heavily Democratic 3rd Congressional District, which lies between Baltimore and the nation’s capital, praise Dunn as a champion of democracy. He testified at a House committee hearing investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
“It took a lot of courage for him to do what he did,” said Cathy Dixon, who welcomed Dunn into her home with other supporters in Serverna Park.
Five state legislators who are familiar to voters in the district are also receiving support in Tuesday’s primary.
Alex Miletich said his familiarity with his state senator was a big reason he voted early for Elfreth, who is in his second term in a district that includes the state capital.
“It’s an open field,” Miletich said after voting early at a recreational facility in Annapolis. “It’s hard to get a sense of the positions of all the different candidates, but she was my senator from Maryland. I feel like she represented my district well, which is why I chose this story and her name recognition.”
Everett Bellamy said he voted for Del. Terri Hill, who is a doctor, because he liked what the Howard County lawmaker had to say at a candidate forum.
“I was impressed with her and I think having some diversity in Congress is a good thing, not all former student government presidents and political science majors and lawyers,” Bellamy said after voting early in Annapolis.
Dunn, who announced his candidacy in January, a day before the third anniversary of the violent attack on the Capitol by a mob of Donald Trump supporters that interrupted the certification of the 2020 presidential election for Joe Biden, said voters regularly thank him for serving like a police officer. He campaigned to be on the front lines defending democracy.
“I believe I’m the best candidate for this moment we’re in right now, and that’s been my message to people,” Dunn said in a recent interview, noting that he expects the primary to be a close race.
Elfreth has highlighted her work as a state legislator and helping constituents. She also won support from the teachers union, environmental groups and state unions.
“This has been a campaign focused on the fundamentals of how to build the biggest tent and speak to as many voters as possible,” Elfreth said.
Dunn, who is running for the first time, has had great success raising money for his campaign, with about $4.6 million from donors across the country. Elfreth raised about $1.5 million, although she also received more than $4 million from a super political action committee.
Money from the United Democracy Project, which is affiliated with a pro-Israel group known as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, has made headlines and is funding television ads and mailings in support of Elfreth. In an interview, Elfreth said he had not received any prior notice about the donation.
“I found out about it when everyone else found out, when the commercials started showing and the mail started dropping in,” Elfreth said.
