Republicans Have Opportunity at Congressional 6 Seat Again in 2024
Could House Minority Leader Jason Buckel become a candidate for Congress?
When U.S. Senator Ben Cardin decided to retire last week, it didn’t create a strong opportunity for Republicans.
With the exception of Larry Hogan, it is hard to imagine any Republican winning that statewide seat in 2024.
A sitting GOP delegate or senator could still run and keep their current seat. A U.S. Senate campaign would likely result in a loss but that GOP candidate could raise his/her profile to run for another race in the future.
But one of the dominoes to fall with Cardin’s announcement is that Sixth District Congressman David Trone is entering that race.
That creates a huge opportunity for Republicans for Trone’s now vacant seat in Congressional District 6. The District covers western Maryland and portions of Montgomery County.
As bad as 2022 was for Republicans, Trone was nearly defeated by Republican candidate Neil Parrott last November.
Even if Trone decided to seek reelection in Congress, he would have probably faced a formidable GOP challenger in 2024.
With an open seat, expect to see the GOP try for this seat.
Parrott ran for Congress in 2020 and was able to keep his House of Delegates seat after he lost. Parrott had to give up his delegate seat in 2022 since it was an election year.
Parrott could take a third shot at the Trone’s seat but Republicans might be ready for a new candidate. How about Delegate Jason Buckel?
He is high profile and a rising GOP star as House Majority Leader. Buckel would be able to keep his current seat and setup two opportunities for that seat.
If Buckel runs and loses in 2024, he could follow Parrott’s path and run again in a more winnable 2026 cycle.
