State Del. Neil Parrott won the Republican primary for a House seat in western Maryland that the GOP hopes to flip from Democratic control.
Parrott’s win sets up a rematch in the 6th Congressional District against Democratic Rep. David Trone. After Parrott’s 2020 loss to Trone, redistricting in Maryland moved the seat 1 percentage point, which, combined with President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings, gives Republicans hope of capturing a seat that stretches from the Democratic stronghold of Montgomery County west to more conservative environs in Maryland’s panhandle.
Parrott emerged from a field with five other GOP contenders, including 25-year-old former investigative journalist Matthew Foldi.
MATTHEW FOLDI SAYS HE CAN FLIP NEW WESTERN MARYLAND HOUSE DISTRICT FOR GOP
Parrott was the top fundraiser on the Republican side, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings. He raised over $100,000 more than Foldi in a race in which fundraising capacity will be crucial to anyone hoping to compete with Trone, the multimillionaire owner of alcohol retailer Total Wine & More, in the expensive media market around Washington, D.C.
Trone is one of the wealthiest members of Congress and recently loaned his campaign $12 million. He faced accusations of absenteeism and poor constituent services from Foldi, who made Trone’s closed offices a central part of his campaign. Trone’s campaign denied the allegations.
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Foldi pulled high-profile endorsements, bringing together different factions of the GOP. Maryland’s centrist Republican Gov. Larry Hogan gave him the nod, as did Donald Trump Jr. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) endorsed him as well, along with a dozen House Republicans.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added Trone to its list of “Frontliners,” or most endangered incumbents, last month.
