Political Notebook: 6th District candidates report endorsements as primaries approach

Former House Speaker endorses Republican in 6th District

A former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives has endorsed a Republican candidate in Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District, according to a release from the candidate’s campaign.

Former U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., who led the chamber for four years in the 1990s, endorsed U.S. Air Force veteran Mariela Roca in her bid to represent the 6th District.

“I encourage every voter in Maryland's 6th District who cares about creating a better future for our country to support Mariela Roca for Congress,” Gingrich said in a March 11 press release. “She has my full endorsement.”

Endorsements of party leaders have not always had sway in the district. In 2022, then-House Minority Leader U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., endorsed a candidate in the Republican primary who was defeated by then-state Del. Neil Parrott.

In the coming weeks, the Herald-Mail plans to publish a voters’ guide with responses from Republican candidates running to represent the district in the state’s sixth congressional district.

---Dwight A. Weingarten

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Another former House Speaker endorses Democrat in 6th District

Another former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives endorsed a Democratic candidate in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, according to a statement from the candidate’s campaign.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who led the chamber eight out of the last 16 years, endorsed former Biden Administration official April McClain Delaney in her bid to represent the sixth district.

“I first met April in 2007 and witnessed firsthand her unique ability to cut through the noise and advance children’s issues on the Hill,” Pelosi said in a March 7 tweet from Delaney’s account. “I am proud to support my dear friend April to represent Maryland's Sixth District.”

McClain Delaney, the wife of former U.S. Rep. John Delaney, D-6th., was the Washington director of the nonprofit Common Sense Media until joining the Biden Administration in 2022 as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Delaney also has been endorsed by former Frederick mayor and state Sen. Ron Young, former Maryland Democratic Party chairs Kathleen Matthews and Terry Lierman, and Hagerstown Councilman Peter Perini.

In the coming weeks, the Herald-Mail plans to publish a voters’ guide with responses from Democratic candidates running to represent the district in the state’s sixth congressional district.

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Martinez and Vogel announce endorsements, too

It's a crowded field in the 6th District, and Hagerstown Mayor Tekesha Martinez, also running in the Democratic primary, chalked up endorsements from Hagerstown City Council members Tiara Burnett and Matthew Schindler.

She's already been endorsed by the National Organization for Women.

Del. Joe Vogel, D-Montgomery, recently announced endorsements from U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and the Sierra Club.

Vogel, who holds a graduate degree in public policy from Harvard University and interned for Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer while studying at George Washington University, has represented Montgomery County in the Maryland General Assembly since 2022.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Political Notebook: It's endorsement season in the 6th District