Unity First PAC, the political entity set up by Gov. Wes Moore (D) and his allies this year to prevent former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) from winning Maryland’s U.S. Senate election, has now turned its attention to aiding the Democratic nominee in the state’s most competitive U.S. House district.
The PAC has launched a 15-second digital ad targeting former state Del. Neil C. Parrott, the Republican nominee in the 6th District, spotlighting his voting record in Annapolis. The ad features spooky gray images of Parrott, the State House and the U.S. Capitol.
“Neil Parrott would be one of the most far-right members of Congress,” a narrator says in the ad. “In Annapolis, he pushed the radical personhood bill to ban all abortions, no exceptions, and he actually voted to weaken domestic violence laws. Parrott is way too extreme for Maryland.”
The ad echoes messages that Parrott’s opponent, former U.S. Commerce Department official April McClain Delaney, and the Maryland Democratic Party, have been driving for weeks.
The vast 6th District, which begins in upper Montgomery County and stretches all the way to Garrett County, leans Democratic, but it has several conservative pockets and the district became more competitive in the latest round of congressional redistricting. National political handicappers see Delaney as likely to win, but some Democrats are nervous about her prospects, and she has invested $3.1 million of her own money into the campaign.
On Friday, the campaign reported pulling in $34,600 in large donations in the two previous days. On Monday, Parrott’s campaign reported taking in $35,900 in big contributions between Thursday and Sunday.
A spokesperson for Unity PAC said the organization was investing six figures on the digital ad attacking Parrott. As of last Thursday, the PAC showed spending $50,000 on the Parrott ad. Based on previous campaign finance statements from the PAC, Unity First had previously spent about $600,000 this election cycle, mostly to produce materials attacking Hogan.
Parrott, meanwhile, is airing a 30-second spot that appears to be his closing message.
“My opponent doesn’t have a record to run on, so she’s making up stories about mine,” Parrott says at the top of the ad. He goes on to describe himself as a problem-solver who will focus on issues that District 6 residents care about, like cutting inflation, securing the U.S.-Mexico border and fighting the scourge of Fentanyl.
“D.C. insider and Biden appointee April Delaney’s policies got us into this mess,” Parrott says at the conclusion. “We need a new direction.”
Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: editor@marylandmatters.org. Follow Maryland Matters on Facebook and X.
