Democratic Rep. David Trone faces off against Republican state Del. Neil Parrott in Maryland's 6th Congressional District election
- Rep. David Trone is running against Republican Neil Parrott in Maryland's 6th Congressional District in a rematch.
- The 6th District is located in the western region of the state.
Democratic Rep. David Trone once again faces off against Republican Neil Parrott in Maryland's 6th Congressional District in a rematch.
Maryland's 6th Congressional District candidates
Trone, first elected in 2018, serves on the House Appropriations and Veterans' Affairs Committees and the Joint Economic Committee.
A businessman, the Democrat from Potomac is the co-founder and co-owner of Total Wine & More, which as of 2018 was the largest private wine retailer in the country with $3.1 billion in annual revenue.
In an interview with local media, Trone said his top priority was addressing mental health and addiction issues. Trone, who co-founded and co-chairs the bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force, donated $10 million to his alma mater, Furman University, much of which will fund mental wellness programming on campus.
One of Congress' wealthiest members, Trone is among dozens of members of Congress found since last year to have violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012 for failing to properly disclose financial investments.
Parrott, Trone's challenger, is currently serving his third term as a state delegate in Maryland's General Assembly. Prior to entering public service, Parrott worked as a traffic engineer for the Maryland State Highway Administration and was the deputy director of engineering for the City of Frederick.
He is also the owner of Traffic Solutions, Inc. in Hagerstown, Maryland. Parrott told local media that slowing inflation and growing the economy will be his top priorities, if elected. He defeated his GOP opponents in a six-way primary, bringing in over 60% of the vote.
Voting history for Maryland's 6th Congressional District
Maryland's 6th Congressional District covers all of Frederick County.
Joe Biden had a 23 percentage point margin of victory over President Donald Trump under the district's previous boundaries in 2020. That same year, Trone handily defeated Parrot, 59% to 39%.
Biden is now less popular in the 6th District after the district was redrawn to remove about 100,000 voters from blue Montgomery County, replacing them with a similar number of voters from red portions of Frederick County — ultimately making it friendlier territory for Republicans.
The money race
According to OpenSecrets, Trone has raised $13 million, spent $8.2 million, and has $4.9 million on hand, as of October 19. Much of Trone's warchest comes from his own wealth.
His opponent, Parrott, has raised about $800,000, spent $448,000, and has $464,000 cash on hand, as of October 19.
Super PACs, national party committees, and other political groups have largely ignored this race. As of November 1, they had together spent about $70,000 — a paltry amount by congressional contest standards — to advocate for or against candidates in this race, including during the race's primary phase.
What experts say
The race between Trone and Parrott is rated as "likely Democratic" by Inside Elections, "likely Democratic" by The Cook Political Report, and "leans Democratic" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.