Updated: McClain Delaney wins Democratic primary in Maryland's 6th Congressional District

April McClain Delaney, a former Commerce Department official from Potomac, has won the Democratic primary in Maryland's 6th Congressional District, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday night.

With 211 of 213 precincts counted on Tuesday, plus early voting and some mail-in ballots, McClain Delaney had 13,494 votes.

Joe Vogel, a 27-year-old state delegate from Gaithersburg, was the runner-up with 9,222 votes.

Prior to joining the Biden administration in January 2022, McClain Delaney spent 15 years at the nonprofit Common Sense Media, which aims to influence government policies on issues like online privacy and social media's impact on mental health as they relate to children.

McClain Delaney ran on a "Common Sense, Common Ground" platform, seeking to paint herself as an experienced candidate with the political clout and know-how necessary to combat Republican ideologues in the U.S. House.

In an interview on Tuesday night, McClain Delaney said she received "great feedback at the polls" from both Democrats and unaffiliated voters who said they were "tired of the gridlock" in Washington.

"Our common sense, common ground message has really been resonating with people across the 6th District," she said.

McClain Delaney, who is married to former 6th District Rep. John Delaney, had come under fire from Vogel over her family's connections to conservative political figures and her high-dollar contributions to her own campaign.

Vogel, who previously worked on the presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, touted his potential to become one of the youngest U.S. Representatives in Maryland's history, as well as the state's first Latino and openly LGBTQ congressman.

A total of 12 candidates were seeking the Democratic nomination to represent the district, which includes all of Frederick, Washington, Allegany and Garrett counties, as well as the northern part of Montgomery County.

Aside from Vogel and McClain Delaney, those candidates include:

* George Gluck, a mathematician and substitute teacher from Rockville

* Ashwani Jain, a former gubernatorial candidate from Gaithersburg

* Lesley Lopez, a state delegate and college professor from Clarksburg

* Tekesha Martinez, the current mayor of Hagerstown

* Mohammad Mozumder, a retiree from Germantown

* Adrian Petrus, a security officer from Prince George's County

* Laurie-Anne Sayles, an at-large member of the Montgomery County Council who lives in Gaithersburg

* Destiny Drake West, a policy think tank founder from Germantown

* Kiambo "Bo" White, a union representative from Frederick

* Altimont Mark Wilks, a small business owner and criminal justice reform advocate from Hagerstown

Four other individuals — Joel Rubin, Peter Choharis, Geoffrey Grammer and Stephen R. McDow II — dropped out of the race prior to Election Day. Their names still appeared on the Democratic primary ballot.

The open 6th District seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. David Trone, who on Tuesday was competing in a U.S. Senate race against Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and others hoping to succeed outgoing U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin.

The Associated Press called that race for Alsobrooks on Tuesday night.

During her victory speech at Citizens Ballroom in downtown Frederick, McClain Delaney congratulated Alsobrooks on her win.

“I look forward to working with her and canvassing, and working across the state and making sure that we are able to win in November all the way down the ticket,” McClain Delaney said.

According to the State Board of Elections, 42,796 mail-in ballots had been sent out to Democrats in the 6th District as of 6 p.m. on Monday. Of those, 22,261 had been received and 7,191 had been accepted.

In order to be counted, mail-in ballots had to be delivered to a ballot box, polling place or local board office by 8 p.m. on Tuesday — the close of polls on Election Day — or received by mail no later than 10 a.m. on May 24 — the day the election is expected to be certified by local boards.

As of April 28, there were a total of 205,124 eligible active voters who were registered as Democrats in Maryland's 6th District, according to State Board of Elections data.

McClain Delaney will face off against Republican nominee Neil Parrott in the general election on Nov. 5.

For the latest results from the 2024 primary elections, visit fredericknewspost.com.