Maryland Congresswoman April McClain Delaney, a Democrat who represents the state’s 6th Congressional District, is facing seven challengers for the party nomination for her seat, including David Trone, who held the seat from 2019-2024, then ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate.
In the Republican primary, Robin Ficker, a former Maryland State Delegate and disbarred attorney, is among a group of GOP candidates that includes Chris Burnett, a U.S. Marine veteran and attorney, and Mariela Roca, a U.S. Air Force veteran and former federal employee.
Trone, the founder of Total Wine & More, said the issues that concern him most are immigration, women’s rights 鈥� including reproductive rights 鈥� and money in politics.
“Immigration reform hasn’t happened in Congress in 30 years,” Trone said.
He said he believes the U.S. needs to have a “thoughtful policy” and could model its policy on Canada’s, which brings in immigrants who can work jobs that need to be filled. Trone said that would include filling jobs in nursing, engineering and education, for example.
Ficker said he also believes immigration is a top concern, but he’d take a different approach. Ficker said he wants to make sure U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement funding continues. Failure to adequately fund ICE, Ficker said, “means open borders and we can’t live with that because it brings in enough unvetted immigrants in two and a half months to completely negate the vote of our legislative district.”
“It also allows California to have at least five more members of Congress, because these folks are counted in the census,” Ficker added.
Trone said he’s concerned about women’s rights, including reproductive rights.
“Women’s rights, we all know, have been eroded,” he said, citing the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that declared the constitutional right to an abortion. “We need to all push back against that.”
Finally, Trone said there’s a problem with money in politics.
“Basically, I dislike politicians to a significant degree. They’re short-sighted, they don’t work real hard and they don’t get stuff done for our country.”
Trone said he would support term limits.
“We need folks in Washington that are public servants,” he said. “We can’t take lobbyists’ money, we have to put an end to that completely. It corrupts the system thoroughly. We have to end that gravy train of dollars and go back to individual donations.”
In his 2024 Senate campaign, Trone spent $60 million of his own money.
Democrat Ethan Wechtaluk, a former federal employee, lists healthcare affordability as a priority.
“The current system is built around profit, not patients,” he told 草莓传媒.
Wechtaluk said his first act would be to co-sponsor the Medicare for All Act and push for realistic implementation.
Wechtaluk said he would also like to see universal childcare.
“Childcare costs are a second mortgage for Maryland families, and the workforce pays the price.”
And finally, Wechtaluk said, he would not reform, but replace Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“It must be replaced with an agency operating under DOJ oversight with statutory civil rights protections,” he said.
Democrat Kiambo White told 草莓传媒 that he’s most concerned about education, business and employment development and government overreach, but didn’t specify how he would address those issues.
Ficker said when it comes to fiscal issues, “I would oppose higher taxes, I would restore fiscal discipline, I would fight inflation-driving policies and slash wasteful spending,” adding he’s someone who “puts taxpayers’ pocketbooks ahead of the special interests.”
Economic investment is critically needed in Maryland’s 6th District, and Ficker said to do that he would promote widening I-270.
“It’s the road to Camp David and I believe I can get administration approval.”
Ficker said he believes widening the interstate would help attract business. He cited the decision by Nucor Steel to locate a plant in West Virginia.
“That project should have been in Western Maryland rather than in West Virginia,” Ficker said.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
漏 2026 草莓传媒. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
