ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Democratic voters in Maryland’s capital and affluent suburbs south and west of Baltimore face a tough decision in choosing their likely next member of Congress on Tuesday.
They can choose a former police officer who rose to national fame after defending the Capitol during the deadly riot of January 6, 2021, or one of their state lawmakers who has passed bills focused on local bread-and-butter issues like health care, green , jobs, flooding and recovery of the Chesapeake Bay.
After January 6, Harry Dunn became one of the faces representing the hundreds of police officers who risked their lives to protect the Capitol when it was attacked by supporters of the then-president. Donald Trump trying to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. Dunn gave emotional testimony at the Jan. 6 Television Commission hearings investigating the case, became a fixture on the cable news circuit and wrote a book last fall about the ordeal and his life.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that I was worried 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 chance to try anything 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 him on that. So I think we need fighters right now, and I think I’m the right person for the job.”
A native of Maryland, Dunn doesn’t live in the state’s deep-blue 3rd Congressional District — he says he lives about 9 miles outside of it and has family who live there — but the former cop’s national stature and celebrity have helped make his fundraising a has gained momentum. dizzying levels. The political newcomer has raised about $4.6 million since announcing his bid to replace retiring Democratic Rep. in January. John Sarbanes for nine terms. Sara Elfreth and Clarence Lam.
As Trump pursues a political comeback this fall, Democratic voters here are grappling with whether they want to be represented by a man who literally took on rioters who wanted to keep Trump in power, or whether they should choose from experienced lawmakers who have a have a track record of delivering results. the district.
Elfreth “has a lot of good will. She worked really hard in the General Assembly, so she’s kind of on the inside,” 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 that into a political victory.”
‘I voted for her, not against him’
Outside an early voting spot at the Broadneck Library in Annapolis, Kathryn Schulke said she and her husband cast their vote for Elfreth, who was trying to help her family find vaccines during the pandemic.
“I called one day and she even answered the phone, which completely surprised me,” Schulke, a retired nurse, said Thursday. She struggled to get 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 proceed to 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 worker to thank voters for coming. There was little foot traffic at the early voting site, but a mother and her two young daughters saw Elfreth and walked over. The mother noted that one of Elfreth’s priorities is protecting the environment, and the senator pointed out that Democratic Gov. Wes Moore had signed her bill earlier that day expanding solar energy in Maryland.
“The people I talk to on the road … really want someone who has a track record of getting things done. Legislation is not easy. It is an art form to negotiate and work with others who are against you,” Elfreth, 35, said in an interview.
These are “people who are on opposite sides of an issue, and how do you bring them together and work through the details, find common ground and get things done on behalf of your constituents. It’s not an easy task, and I love that part of the job; I’m doing well. I pass more bills at the statehouse than any of my colleagues.
Lam, 43, a physician at Johns Hopkins University, is the only physician and only Asian American in the Senate. He also touts his legislative record, particularly his work on health policy, including capping the cost of insulin and expanding Medicaid to ensure all mothers have better access to prenatal and postnatal care .
“When it comes to a lot of the work I’ve done, a lot of it has been in the healthcare and public health fields,” Lam said.
The pro-Israel group spends a lot
Elfreth has raised nearly $1.5 million through the end of April, while Lam has raised about $736,000. The 19 other candidates in the crowded field, including state Reps. Mark Chang, Terri Hill and Mike Rogers, are far behind.
Despite Dunn’s huge fundraising advantage, spending dynamics have changed in recent weeks. United Democracy Project, a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a powerful pro-Israel group, pumped more than $4 million into the race supporting Elfreth — most of it in TV ads hitting the Baltimore market were broadcast.
“It’s stupid, to put it bluntly,” said Dunn, who has repeatedly expressed support for Israel. “Because yes, I did the work. I have been there [getting] grassroots support.”
“It is disheartening to see that our democracy is now up for sale to whatever interests can dump millions of dollars behind their favorite candidate,” Lam added.
Under federal law, Elfreth cannot work with the super PAC, and she said she has no idea why she is getting air cover from 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 much different: “I believe in a long-term two-state solution, a sustainable two-state solution, an end to the violence, a return of the hostages. very similar to all the others.”
In a recent ad called “Choice,” Dunn’s campaign knocked Elfreth for receiving support from a “right-wing super PAC funded by Trump donors” and “voting with Republicans 44 times.” Some of the UDP’s largest donors typically give to GOP campaigns and groups.
Elfreth said she is unapologetic about her bipartisan record and works across the aisle. “It’s funny because I’ve been picked on a lot in my life,” she said. “But 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 hard one to miss at 6-foot-4. But he rose to national prominence after delivering powerful testimony in Congress on January 6.
The bipartisan panel investigating the riot held an initial hearing with four law enforcement officers, including Dunn, to mark the start of their fact-finding mission.
“I sat down on a couch with a friend of mine, who is also a Black Capitol Police officer, and told him about the racist insults I had endured,” Dunn told the panel, recalling his experiences during the Capitol riots remembered. “I got very emotional and started shouting, ‘How the [expletive] could something like this happen? Is this America?’”
Dunn subsequently attended almost every hearing the committee held. Throughout the process, he grew closer to members of the panel and to Democratic members of the House of Representatives leadership – several of whom endorsed his candidacy, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative Jamie Raskin from Maryland.
But Dunn said there is more to his candidacy 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 and AR-15s. I care about those things. I’m concerned about the right to vote. I believe it is important to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law,” he said. “There are so many more things than just ‘Jan.’ 6 Harry Dunn. ”
Dunn added that he surprised “a lot of people” during his campaign. “When they say, ‘Oh, wow, you’re more than just a Trump hater’ — I mean, I wear that as a badge of honor,” he joked.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
