McClain Delaney wins bitter primary to keep Maryland House seat

By Jessica Piper | 06/24/2026 06:54 AM EDT

Her victory blocks former Rep. David Trone from returning to Congress.

UNITED STATES - MARCH 3: Rep. April McClain Delaney, D-Md., speaks during a rally outside National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration headquarters to oppose the recent worker firings, in Sliver Spring, Md., on Monday, March 3, 2025.

Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-Md.) during a rally outside NOAA headquarters on March 3, 2025. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/AP

Rep. April McClain Delaney won her bitter and expensive Democratic primary for Maryland’s 6th District on Tuesday, denying her predecessor, former Rep. David Trone, from making a comeback.

The race drew $23 million in TV spending, with much of that coming from the candidates directly, and became a microcosm of the Democratic Party’s clashes over President Donald Trump, money in politics and immigration.

McClain Delaney, who is serving her first term in Congress, had the backing of the rest of the state’s Democratic congressional delegation, along with Gov. Wes Moore.

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Trone announced he would challenge McClain Delaney in December, citing in part her vote for the Laken Riley Act, a Republican-led immigration bill. McClain Delaney later said she regretted the vote, saying she hadn’t imagined “the horror” of Trump’s immigration enforcement would come to pass.

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