Brunswick resident seeks congressional seat to help people in recovery

Oct. 20—Carleah Summers says she's felt a calling for a few months now.

"I just have really, really become passionate about wanting to make change on a bigger level with the underserved population," she said.

Now the Brunswick resident is running as a Democrat for the Sixth District congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. David Trone, a district that covers part of Frederick County and all of western Maryland.

Summers, the owner of a nonprofit organization that runs recovery houses for women and children, plans to run on a platform of dealing with opioid addiction, prison reform and making health care available to anyone regardless of coverage status.

"Something has just been telling me to just go and try to make as much change as I can to help these individuals be able to get back into society and get back on their feet," she said.

Running in a big district, Summers has made visits to Montgomery County so far, but she plans to get out and talk to people in the other counties in the district by January.

While Trone has announced his intention to run again, Summers joins Montgomery County Democrat Ben Smilowitz and Montgomery Republican Jonathan Jenkins as candidates who have filed with the Maryland State Board of Elections.

The primary election is scheduled for June 28, 2022, and the general election for Nov. 8.

With her focus on the opioid epidemic, she covers some of the same ground as Trone, who has made opioid addiction one of his central themes in Congress.

But Summers said that's not a problem.

"I actually have supported David Trone in the past, and so I definitely don't want to say anything bad about his efforts," she said. "However, I am from Frederick County, and so I am directly right here smack dab working in Frederick and Washington counties, where the opioid crisis has absolutely skyrocketed since the pandemic, and again, focusing on those grassroots."

As someone in long-term recovery herself, she thinks she's uniquely positioned to use her experience to be a voice for the people she's running to help.

"Running into so many roadblocks and watching so many men and women just feel helpless," she said of her experience working with those in addiction and recovery. "And I know what that feels like. I've been there personally, I've experienced it. But I also know what it feels like to overcome that."

Follow Ryan Marshall on Twitter: @RMarshallFNP