Delaney expected to announce political plans this weekend

By Ryan Miner 

A source close to Rep. John Delaney (MD-6) says Delaney is expected to make a weekend announcement declaring his intention not to seek re-election in Maryland’s 6^th Congressional District.

Delaney – a multimillionaire former business executive who represents Western Maryland and a wide swath of Montgomery County – has long been considered a leading Democratic candidate to take on Maryland’s popular Republican governor, Larry Hogan, in 2018.

On July 22, Delaney tweeted from his campaign Twitter account that he “will have something specific to say” at the end of July.

Busy time; April & I working on next steps & will spend bit more time on it; will have something specific to say end of July. Stay tuned!JD

— John K. Delaney (@JohnKDelaney) June 22, 2017

However, sources claim that although Delaney has been mulling a gubernatorial bid for some time, the three-term congressman is unlikely to jump into an already crowded Democratic primary and will likely forgo seeking the state’s highest elected office in 2018.

Delaney has largely dialed back commenting on state issues and has almost exclusively focused his social media and other media appearances on federal issues. To date, Delaney has refrained from opening a Maryland campaign finance account.

There is widespread speculation in Maryland political circles that Delaney has his sights set on the White House in 2020. However, Delaney dismissed the presidential gossip as “ridiculous” and stated on May 11 that he is not running for president.

Several Democratic candidates – Andrew Duck, Bill Fick, Aruna Miller, Roger Manno and David Trone – are lining up to succeed Delaney in the 6th Congressional District. Miller and Frick recently posted promising FEC numbers for quarter 2, while Trone, a millionaire himself, has indicated that he is willing to spend upwards of $15 million on a second congressional run.

The 2018 Republican bench in the 6th is shaping up to be much slimmer, with only one serious candidate – Amie Hoeber – exploring a second congressional run. Political newcomer Adam McKee, a Boyds resident, has also expressed interest in running.

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