Parrott called Thorone on Friday afternoon to make concessions, which both sides acknowledged, with Troone describing the call as “very kind.”
Trone’s victory gives the Democrats another victory in a close battle for control of the House that remains unresolved. Republican hopes for a big red wave collapsed dramatically after Democrats defied expectations of holding onto seats in many difficult districts.
The Tron-Parrot rematch is seen as Maryland’s most exciting congressional election, with Parrot wanting a strong grassroots game and widespread dissatisfaction with the economy, and President Biden wanting Tron’s vast personal wealth and incumbent dominance. I was able to defeat sex.
But after Total Wine & More co-founder Trone invested more than $12 million in his campaign, he took control of Parrot on the airwaves, calling him “extremist” on abortion and other social issues. was described as being Freedom to indicate his personal mission. Tron’s enormous financial superiority largely discouraged large-scale investment from the National Republican Party, and Parrot sought to pull off an upset with minimal resources. Parrot raised about $800,000 this year.
Trone routed engineer and long-time Maryland representative Parrott in 2020. However, this year’s race has become more competitive after the reorganization made District 6 redder. He and several other Republicans won a lawsuit this year leading to a new congressional map that would give Republicans a chance in the Western District of Maryland.
But while the district lost some of the bluer DC suburbs, it retained a good chunk of populous, deep blue Montgomery County, where Trone beat Parrot. .
After more mail-in ballots were counted and reported, Torone took a slight lead in Thursday’s late-night race, which included the purple Frederick County. lead is expected to grow further. Parrott admitted that’s why he called his Trone to congratulate him on Friday.
Despite the loss, Parrott’s campaign is showing positive signs, believing that the “extremely partisan gerrymandering” of the previous map of Congress has been fixed, and Marylanders are “decisive” about who will be elected to Congress this year. I came to have a real voice.
“This was not the result we were hoping for, but this is not a defeat and it is not the end,” Parrott said in a statement. “We unified the Republican Party in western Maryland. We faced a crushing spending disadvantage that scared Republicans across the country. We fought and won in court to ensure that people were never taken for granted again.”
Trone was first elected in 2018 and projected an image as a centrist willing to use his congressional business chops to make a bipartisan deal. “You can’t pass a bill with just a message. It doesn’t do anything. It’s a waste of my life,” Torone told a roomful of Democratic voters in Gaithersburg last month, before adding, “I’m out there. Go and eat chili cheese dogs with Republicans.
In an interview on Friday, Trone said he believed a bipartisan focus was key to his victory. He didn’t hesitate to stand on Biden’s record, believing it would appeal to a wider voter than he did. This is especially important in western Maryland, he said. Clean He also includes provisions to reduce energy investments and the cost of prescription drugs and health care for seniors in the Inflation Reduction Act. He appeared with Biden in Hagerstown last month to promote the president’s agenda.
“Biden’s numbers are low and that’s all people are talking about, but people are saying that in two years he won a majority of three votes in the House and no majority in the Senate, it’s been incredible. I think we’re starting to realize that we’ve achieved a transformative amount of policy,” Tron said. “That record is what I ran. I ran for president on the record, and I think voters responded.”
Trone became co-chair of the bipartisan task force on mental health and addiction, and devoted much of his service in Congress to issues that were personal to him. His nephew he died of a fentanyl-related overdose in 2016. From that experience, Trone said he wants to lead bipartisan legislation that strengthens mental health and addiction resources to help those struggling with substance abuse find treatment. rice field. He also tries to keep the criminal justice system away from imprisoning people as a solution to the drug addiction crisis that happened to his nephew.
Some of the local allies he worked with on that mission appeared in Trone’s emotional campaign ads. Western Maryland has its own challenges with the opioid epidemic, especially during the pandemic. “David believed in us,” Tron-connected Kevin Simmers, who lost his daughter to an overdose, said in one ad. There is no bigger champion than Trone.”
Trone also told his backstory as a farmer’s son in numerous advertisements. He often tells the story of his father’s farm foreclosure and tries to make connections in rural areas of the district. Incumbents helped gain endorsement from the Maryland Department of Agriculture. But some conservative voters remained skeptical. James Paris, a Frederick County voter who supports Parrott, said at a rally Cruz held for him last month, “When you see these commercials, people think he’s a slicker in this country.” But that’s not to say he didn’t work hard and build a business called Total Wine & More, which funded his campaign.”
Many conservative voters said they were excited about Parrott’s competitive bid, given that it’s been a decade since Republicans represented this part of the state. One of his most conservative members of the Maryland Legislature, Parrott curbed government spending, closed the U.S.-Mexico border, empowered parents in their children’s education, and said, “Life starts from the beginning.” He roused his supporters by pledging to create a “protected place.” until the end of life. ”
Trone backed Parrott’s staunch opposition to abortion.egg Concerns about abortion rights. Parrott, a social conservative who has called for states to overturn same-sex marriage legalization, has previously said he led a 20-week abortion ban and backed his 15-week ban in Congress. rice field.
But while political analysts consider subversion, egg Though Parrott’s social conservatism was seen as an advantage for Thorone, they also saw Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox as a shackle to Parrott, potentially stoking the Republican excitement needed to lead Parrott to victory. suppressed to
Cox lost to governor Wes Moore (Democrat) by more than 20 percent.
Trone said Friday that his third term plans to continue pushing major investments in aid to mental health, addiction and medical research, while also focusing on criminal justice reform. rice field.
“We haven’t solved our addiction. We haven’t solved our mental health crisis. We have to keep doing more,” he said.
This article has been updated with Parrott’s statement and an interview with Trone.
