A few honest questions for April Delaney

 

For those of you who don't live in Maryland, April McClain Delaney is a freshman congressperson from Maryland's sixth district, currently seeking a second term.  She is being challenged by her predecessor in that seat, David Trone, who gave up the position to run a failed bid for the United States Senate in 2024.

Representative Delaney is running a two-headed campaign featuring attacks on Trump/ICE detention centers and on her opponent in the Democratic Primary, Mr. Trone.  I applaud your votes against everything Trump does, Ms. Delaney.  I have no issues with that whatsoever.  My questions concern your pushback against your primary challenger. 

You have issued a "Cease and Desist" against Mr. Trone for running ads urging Democratic Primary voters to "Re-Elect David Trone," suggesting that Trone is trying to trick voters into thinking he's the incumbent.  Do you really have so little respect for your constituents that you think they don't know who their Congressperson is?  Or is it that you've been so low-profile that you're afraid that the guy who preceded you has larger name recognition?  In any case, David Trone is a former Congressman who is looking to get re-elected to his old seat.  You can quibble about the language, but I don't think you have a legal leg to stand on and you're coming off insecure more than anything else here. 

Also, you accuse Mr. Trone of trying to buy this seat.  But in 2024, of the just over $2 million you spent to win it yourself, $1 million was self-financed by you and your husband.  Seems to me that you don't object to buying seats in the House of Representatives as much as you are irritated at the concept of being outspent. 

Finally, you suggest that Mr. Trone feels "entitled" to this seat- again, because he's a multimillionaire who jumped into politics near the top.  But do I need to remind you who served as the Representative in this district before Mr. Trone first ran?  That was John Delaney- your husband.  A quick Wiki scan tells me that your Congressional seat is the very first office YOU ever ran for.  You'll need to work hard to explain to me the moral difference between a person who buys name recognition and one who "earns" it by being the spouse of the former Rep.  Oh, but she did serve as a Deputy Director for one division in the Department of Commerce.  Her qualifications for that role?  Um....well....check out her last name again.

In short, please explain to me how the race for the Democratic Nomination for Congress in Maryland's 6th district is NOT just a fight between two people who used money and connections to short-cut their way to the upper ranks of political power?  Or- get off your high horse.  I seem to remember you using your name recognition and money to bludgeon an underfunded primary opponent just two short years ago.  Your current pious tongue-clucking about Big Money is unbecoming to say the least, and I'd actually go with the phrase "blatantly hypocritical."