Hoeber says she is the best candidate to beat John Delaney

By Ryan Miner 

Finishing a whirlwind tour through Western Maryland over the weekend, Amie Hoeber, the lone conservative gal mounting a serious and impressive bid to win the Republican nomination in Maryland’s 6th District, is preparing for a general election matchup between herself and incumbent Democratic Rep. John Delaney.

Armed with relevant experience, a sizeable and growing volunteer base and a positive message  – and more cash-on-hand than any of her Republican challengers – Hoeber is promulgating her campaign message far and wide: protecting individual liberties, a strong national defense, economic revitalization, protecting and defending our 2nd Amendment rights, and presenting common-sense conservative solutions in the same fashion as Maryland’s hugely successful Republican governor, Larry Hogan.

According to several Garrett and Allegany County Republican residents, Hoeber’s position on the 2nd Amendment and her ground operation is attracting multiple new voters to her campaign.

The Hoeber campaign has been focusing its efforts heavily in Western Maryland, including building strong apparatuses in Washington, Allegany and Garrett counties; Hoeber will be in Washington County this weekend for a major event.

The Cumberland-Times News recently interviewed Hoeber, asking her what prompted her to run for Congress.

“It’s my real dismay at what has happened to our national security posture,” Hoeber said. “I come from a national security background. I’m really dismayed with what the Democrats have done to our standing in the world and the strength of our military. I was deputy undersecretary of the Army during the Reagan administration. I care about keeping our military strong.”

In the same article, Hoeber stressed her credentials as setting her apart from her Republican opponents, saying,

“I think I bring a set of credentials that no one else has,” said Hoeber. “I believe I am the best candidate to beat Delaney. I’m the only one out of that group that has a real shot. I have the resources and the time to do this right.”

On February 1, I reported the Q4 campaign finance summaries featuring each of the Republican CD-6 candidate’s cash-on-hand and the total amount each Republican raised in the final fundraising quarter of 2015.

With over $200K cash-on-hand at the end of Q4, Hoeber’s claim that she has the resources to compete both in the primary and against Delaney is rooted in fact.

Hoeber, a political outsider who has never run for public office, has the personal means to self-fund. CD-6 cannot be won back by a Republican without a serious candidate having access to vast resources; any candidate or operative who says otherwise is guilty of practicing jiggery-pokery.

In the same article, Hoeber mentioned her confidence in Gov. Hogan’s job performance.

“Hogan is doing exactly the right thing. He is minimizing regulations. He has made some great steps,” said Hoeber.

Hoeber also mentioned that she is currently working with more financial resources than what Dan Bongino had at this time in 2014.

“I’m a serious opponent and he knows it. I have more resources than Dan Bongino. Delaney is very well resourced. I can draw more Independents, Democrats and women.” said Hoeber.

Fact check: Hoeber is factually correct in that she currently has more financial resources than did Bongino at this point in 2014.

Bongino, a prolific campaigner who was defeated by a slim margin by John Delaney in 2014, however, had significantly more media exposure than any of the current CD-6 candidates, including Hoeber.

Hoeber is expected to launch a comprehensive ad blitz starting next month.

According to Hoeber’s campaign Facebook and Twitter pages, this past weekend she attended multiple events in Garrett County, including the Oakland Winterfest; she was the featured guest speaker at the Oakland Rotary Club; and Hoeber attended a Garrett County Chamber of Commerce gathering. Hoeber also attended the Robert Burns Scottish Rite Dinner last Saturday in Cumberland.

Hoeber is set to appear in a congressional debate on February 25 in Hagerstown, hosted by the Washington County Republican Club.