MD-06: Can Aruna Miller Upset the Largest Self-Funder in House Race History?

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — If there’s one electoral trend from 2018 so far, it’s that Democratic women are winning primaries in House districts across the country.

But in Maryland, which has no women in its congressional delegation for the first time in more than 40 years, the most competitive woman running for the Democratic nomination in the open 6th District is at a big disadvantage.

State Del. Aruna Miller checks many of the boxes for the sorts of candidates Democrats are nominating this year: She’s an immigrant, has a science background, and she’s outraised her primary opponents in the race.

But she’s running against a self-funder, who has spent more of his own money on a House race than any other candidate in history — besides himself, when he ran unsuccessfully for another open Maryland seat in 2016. David Trone, the co-owner of Total Wine & More, spent more than $13 million running in the 8th District last cycle, when he finished second in the primary. He’s on track to spend more than $11 million of his own money on this year’s 6th District primary.

Miller is Maryland’s best shot to send a woman to Congress. Republicans are also likely to nominate a woman for this seat. Defense consultant Amie Hoeber lost by 16 points to Democratic incumbent John Delaney (who’s leaving Congress to run for president) in 2016, and she’s running again this year. Although Delaney had a close election in 2014, winning by less than 2 points, Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates this year’s race Solid Democratic.



https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/can-aruna-miller-upset-largest-self-funder-house-race-history