Democratic Rep. David Trone has defeated Republican Neil Parrott in Maryland’s closely watched 6th District race, winning a third term for himself and denying the GOP a pickup in the U.S. House.
The Associated Press called the race Friday afternoon as the counting of thousands of mail-in ballots continued.
“I am honored and grateful that the people of the 6th District have reelected me to continue serving them,” Trone said in a statement. “This victory a reflection of the time we spent in the district, our commitment to constituent services, and our focus on bipartisan solutions for critical issues like mental health and addiction. Because we’ve always been focused on bipartisanship, we are in a strong position to get things done, regardless of which party controls the House.”
In the statement, Trone said he spoke with Parrott by phone Friday “and he was very gracious in conceding.” Trone added, “I appreciate him running a hard-fought campaign and showing grace when the outcome became clear.
Trone’s victory in the 6th District race comes as control of the U.S. House remains up in the air. Heading into Election Day, Republicans were favored to retake control, but predictions of a “red wave” of GOP victories largely failed to materialize.
Parrot, a longtime Maryland state delegate, also issued a statement.
“While this wasn’t the outcome we wanted, it isn’t a defeat and it isn’t the end,” Parrott said, referring his efforts in court to force the redrawing of the district’s boundaries, which had long been criticized for extreme gerrymandering.
“We unified the Republican Party in western Maryland,” Parrott said. “We faced an overwhelming spending disadvantage that scared off national Republicans. We fought — and won — in court so that this district is fair and competitive, and the people of the sixth district will never be taken for granted again.”
Parrott also challenged Trone in 2020, losing by 20 points. However, after redistricting its borders shifted, including a smaller portion of reliably Democratic Montgomery County, as well as all of Frederick, Allegany, Garrett and Washington counties.
On the campaign trail, the two candidates had sparred over government spending, inflation and immigration.
Trone, the founder of Total Wine & More, was first elected to the seat in 2018 and poured more than $12 million into his reelection effort.
Mail-in ballots are still being counted in the race, but AP vote totals now show Trone with a 2,400-vote lead that is expected to grow. While Parrott initially had a lead of about 4,500 votes on Election Day, it was steadily eroded as mail-in ballots were tallied.
- Moore projected winner in history-making governor’s race amid Dem. sweep; voters OK legalized recreational pot
- Trone and Parrott locked in close in 6th District, plus other House races to watch
- Tossup county executive races in Frederick, Howard, Anne Arundel counties
- 2022 Virginia Election Results
- 2022 DC Election Results
- 2022 Maryland Election Results
