April McClain Delaney. Campaign photo.
Former U.S. Commerce Department official April McClain Delaney (D) has opened a wide fundraising lead over former state Del. Neil C. Parrott (R) in the state’s most competitive U.S. House election, fueled in part by the more than $2 million she has loaned her campaign.
Through the end of September, Delaney had spent more than five times as much money as Parrott in the race for the 6th District seat, according to Federal Election Commisssion campaign finance reports released Tuesday.
In her latest FEC report, Delaney reported raising $747,952.89 from July 1 to Sept. 30, including a $225,000 loan from her own pocket. Overall, her campaign to replace departing U.S. Rep. David Trone (D) in the 6th District has taken in $3.7 million, including $2.1 million from her own fortune.
Delaney reported spending $641,596.89 in the past three months — $209,779.15 on media buys alone. In all, she has spent $3.4 million and finished September with $323,455.10 in her campaign account.
Parrott had a similar amount of money left in his war chest on Sept. 30 — $320,329.33. But to date he has raised and spent considerably less than Delaney.
The Republican took in $276,057.46 between July 1 and the end of September, and spent $178,122.65 during that period. Overall, he has raised $906,061.58 this election cycle and spent $643,989.59, according to his FEC report.
This is Parrott’s third straight try as the GOP nominee in the 6th District, which takes in part of Montgomery County and most of Western Maryland. After running unsuccessfully against the multimillionaire Trone in the last two elecdtions, he will almost certainly be heavily outspent once again.
Public polling has shown a close race — though most national political handicappers believe the Democrats will retain the seat — and the contest has taken an especially nasty turn over the past 10 days, since the candidates argued bitterly during a forum at Hood College.
Delaney and Parrott are scheduled to meet again during a forum in Hagerstown Wednesday morning sponsored by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.
As the battle for control of the House of Representatives intensifies, both political parties have begun to pay extra attention to the 6th District in recent weeks. But the district has not seen the spectacular level of outside spending that has come to dominate the election for Maryland’s open U.S. Senate seat.
Parrott has sought to portray Delaney as a wealthy outsider who does not live in the district and is not in tune with the district’s problems. But the Democrat’s financial advantage could prove to be the difference in a district with a slight Democratic advantage in registration.
Delaney is a lawyer who has worked for the government, in the private sector and for nonprofits. Her husband, former U.S. Rep. John Delaney (D), held the seat from 2013 to 2019 and is a wealthy entrepreneur and business owner.
Even with the candidate’s self funding, Delaney’s take over the past three months has been steady. Her donors include Steve Case, the tech entrepreneur and philanthropist, who gave $3,300; Paul Tagliabue, the former NFL commissioner, who donated $500 in the last three months and $3,825 overall; former U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III (D-Mass.), a former colleague of John Delaney’s, who donated $1,000; and Kathleen Matthews, the former state Democratic chair who was previously a TV newscaster and Marriott executive, who donated $3,300.
Several political action committees connected to the unions and other interest groups that have endorsed Delaney, as well as PACs connected to Democratic officeholders in Maryland and across the country, have also funded her campaign over the past three months. In all, she reported $134,350 in PAC and political committee donations since July 1.
Parrott collected a similar amount over the past three months from conservative PACs and political committees, which donated $151,301.13 to his campaign in that time, according to his FEC filing.