Thomas DeGonia, a Rockville attorney, is planning to run against incumbent Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy in the 2022 Democratic primary.
DeGonia, who is with the firm Ethridge Quinn, posted on Twitter last week that he will run, challenging McCarthy, who is seeking a fifth four-year term.
DeGonia posted on Friday that he is running “because prosecutors have got to be problem-solvers, not paper pushers.”
“We need to end the school-to-prison pipeline, overhaul systems set up to dehumanize defendants, and prioritize racial justice,” he wrote.
“We can’t rely on decades-old solutions to modern-day problems. We need real, genuine justice for all — justice for victims, justice for defendants, and justice for our community.”
DeGonia, a 50-year-old Olney resident, planned to challenge McCarthy in the 2018 Democratic primary, he said in October 2017.
At the time, he said he thought McCarthy hadn’t done enough to reduce gang violence in the county. DeGonia, however, told Bethesda Beat three months later that he decided not to launch a campaign due to family obligations and political considerations.
Prior to entering private practice, DeGonia worked as an assistant state’s attorney under former Montgomery County State’s Attorney Doug Gansler from 1999 to 2007. McCarthy was chief deputy under Gansler.
DeGonia also served as associate counsel for the State Department’s Office of Inspector General, according to his LinkedIn profile.
DeGonia had not formally filed for election as of Monday afternoon, according to the State Board of Elections website. However, he has set up a donation page.
McCarthy filed to run for his fifth term as state’s attorney on April 28, although he has not made a public announcement about his candidacy. No other challengers had filed as of Monday afternoon.
The filing deadline is Feb. 22. The 2022 primary will be on June 28 and the general election is on Nov. 8.
Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media
