Neil Parrott files statement of candidacy for 6th Congressional District run in 2026

Campaign would mark former state delegate’s fourth attempt to win seat

January 30, 2025 3:41 p.m. | Updated: January 31, 2025 10:59 a.m.

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published at 3:41 p.m on Jan. 30, 2025. It was updated at 10:59 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2025 to include a statement from Neil Parrott and information on April McClain Delaney’s vote on the The Protection of Women and Girls In Sports Act.

Former Maryland General Assembly member and Republican Neil Parrott has filed a statement of candidacy for the Maryland 6th Congressional District with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), marking his fourth attempt to win the seat, according to the agency’s latest campaign finance documents.

If Parrott moves forward with his candidacy, the Hagerstown resident would be attempting to unseat freshman U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-Dist. 6) of Potomac in the 2026 midterm elections. McClain Delaney bested Parrott by a margin of 53%-47% in the November 2024 general election. The race was too close to call for nearly a week after polls closed, with the outcome dependent on mail-in ballots.

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This would be Parrott’s fourth run for the seat after three prior unsuccessful efforts. He lost to businessman David Trone of Potomac in 2018 and 2022. Trone vacated the seat to run for the U.S. Senate in 2024, losing in the Democratic primary to former Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. She defeated former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in November.

A former state delegate, Parrott represented District 2A in the Maryland General Assembly following a career as a traffic engineer.

Parrott confirmed in an email to Bethesda Today on Friday morning that he is launching an “exploratory campaign,” like he did when he ran for the seat in 2024. He has not filed with the Maryland State Board of Elections to appear on the ballot, but the FEC filing will allow him to legally begin campaign fundraising.

McClain Delaney referenced Parrott’s apparent intent to run in a fundraising email sent to supporters Wednesday.

“It may be early in 2025, but Neil Parrott has already filed to unseat me in 2026,” McClain Delaney wrote. “Extreme Republicans are feeling emboldened by the new Trump administration to gain more ground and fill Congress with more extreme rhetoric and fewer solutions for hardworking families.”

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Parrott directed Bethesda Today to an email he sent to supporters Friday in response to McClain Delaney’s fundraising email. In the email, he shares information about his exploratory campaign, but slammed McClain Delaney for her vote against a controversial congressional bill that, if approved by the U.S. Senate, will prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports teams in schools.

“[McClain] Delaney’s October 2024, campaign flyer claims that, ‘April McClain Delaney does not support boys playing in girls’ sports or any of the other ridiculous claims that Neil Parrott is making,'” Parrott wrote. “Less than 2 weeks after she is sworn in, and less than 3 months since she sent the flyer … [McClain] Delaney, VOTED AGAINST The Protection of Women and Girls In Sports Act. This act mandates that only biological women participate in women’s sports.”

In a Jan. 14 statement on social media, McClain Delaney shared that she is understands “parents’ concerns about boys playing in girls’ sports,” but voted against the bill due to concerns it could subject children to genital inspections to prove their sex.


McClain Delaney did not reference transgender individuals or the LGBTQ+ community in her statement.

The geographic makeup of the district has made the race more competitive than others across the state as it includes majority-Democratic Montgomery County as well as more conservative-leaning counties. It was closely watched in 2024 as a race that could determine party control of the House of Representatives.

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The district represents the northwestern portion of Montgomery County and all of Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties in western Maryland.

McClain Delaney, a former U.S. Commerce Department official and communications lawyer, lives in Potomac. Her husband, John Delaney, held the seat from 2013 to 2019 prior to his short campaign to become U.S. president in 2020.

The 2024 race for the 6th District seat sparked testiness from the candidates, who clashed at several events and in media appearances and literally jabbed fingers at a forum.

Abortion and LGBTQ+ rights emerged as top issues in the race as Parrott’s conservative record on the issues in the General Assembly came to light, with McClain Delaney’s campaign criticizing Parrott’s views. Parrott accused McClain Delaney of lying in campaign ads. Parrott focused the latter days of his campaign on infrastructure and economics and limited his discussion of civil rights issues, while McClain Delaney emphasized reproductive health care access as a cornerstone of her campaign.

The race was also an expensive one, with McClain Delaney pouring millions of her own dollars into her campaign.

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