MARYLAND MATTERS: The 3rd congressional district Democratic primary, already well-stocked with candidates, is about to get a jolt of energy and widespread exposure.
On Friday, Harry Dunn, a former U.S. Capitol police officer who attracted national attention after he engaged in hand-to-hand combat with rioters during the Jan. 6 insurrection, plans to enter the race.
Dunn, 40, has been among the most high-profile police officers who battled the unruly mob on Jan. 6, and recently published a book about his life and his experiences during the insurrection, “Standing My Ground: A Capitol Police Officer’s Fight for Accountability and Good Trouble After January 6th.” He resigned last month after 15 years on the force.
“On January 6th, 2021, I did my duty as a police officer and as an American and defended our nation’s Capitol from violent insurrectionists,” Dunn said in a statement that he will release on Friday. “Today, I’m running for Congress because the forces that spurred that violent attack are still at work and as a patriotic American, it is my duty to defend our democracy.”
Dunn, who grew up in Prince George’s County, is a political novice in a race with a handful of seasoned state lawmakers and several other Democratic candidates. But he has been in the news regularly in the three years since the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, worked closely with the special House of Representatives panel that investigated the insurrection, and is sure to attract widespread attention as he begins to campaign ahead of the May 14 primary.
President Biden last year awarded Dunn and other police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest award a civilian can get.
“I was raised here in Maryland, where my parents taught me the values of duty, honor, and community,” the new candidate said in his statement. “My family taught me that doing the right thing is a way of life and that’s why I’m focused on protecting Marylanders and delivering on the issues that matter most to them. This election our democracy, our freedoms, and our sacred American values are on the line, and I’m determined to defend them in Congress.”
Dunn currently lives in Montgomery County, outside the 3rd District, though district residency is not a requirement for seeking a seat in the U.S. House. He has pledged to move to the 3rd District if he is elected.
It is not altogether clear what kind of campaign apparatus Dunn is putting together. His campaign manager, Taylor Doggett, has Capitol Hill experience as a spokesperson for Democrats on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and working in a variety of capacities for now-retired U.S. Rep. David Price (D-N.C.). He is also using a national Democratic consulting firm, Liftoff Campaigns.
The campaign released its first ad, “This Day,” early Friday morning.
Dunn’s book describes in searing detail the violence he encountered at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and also describes how rioters threw racial epithets at him throughout the chaotic afternoon.
During the ceremony where he was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal, on Jan. 6, 2023, Dunn told the assembled crowd at the White House: “I think it’s important to note that I accept this medal not as a Capitol Hill Police Officer, a job I have held for 15 years. Rather, I am here as an American. What I did on Jan. 6, I did as a police officer. It was my job. But what I have done every day since, I do because I am an American.”
Dunn’s entry is only one of several recent developments in the wide open race to replace U.S. Rep. John P. Sarbanes (D), who is retiring at the end of this Congress after nine terms.
Juan Dominguez, an Anne Arundel County businessman who has spent the last half year campaigning for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat, filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission this week signaling his intention to switch into the 3rd District House race. He is expected to discuss his decision publicly next week.
Don Quinn, a 44-year-old attorney and military reservist, also entered the race this week, with an announcement Wednesday at the World War II Memorial in Annapolis. In an interview, he said the 3rd District has the highest number of Gulf War veterans in the state.
This is the second political race for Quinn: In 2014, he was the Republican nominee against veteran Anne Arundel County state Sen. John C. Astle (D), falling less than 3 points short. The following year, Quinn said he changed his political affiliation to Democrat.
“The most important lesson I learned is that I wasn’t a Republican,” he said, laughing.
One legislative priority for Quinn, managing partner of Quinn Patton law firm founded in 2021, would be strengthening civil rights laws for workers. He also wants to secure benefits for military veterans sooner, especially those wounded in combat.
Some of his other priorities include finding common ground on abortion rights, better funding for public education and ensuring that children read a diversity of books. He is the father of seven children.
“How is it that in America we can ban books?” Quinn said. “[Children] are going to make our world a better place because of education. If we are not giving our kids the best education, we are doing them and ourselves a huge disservice.”
At least four other Democratic candidates filed paperwork with the State Board of Elections since late December to join the Democratic race: Malcolm Colombo, a civil engineer; Mark Gosnell, a physician who finished last in a 10-way Democratic primary for the 7th District congressional seat in 2020; Matt Libber, executive director of the Maryland Soccerplex in Germantown; and Stewart Silber, a Towson University student.
Up until now, the five state lawmakers who are seeking Sarbanes’ seat appeared to be the leading contenders — Sens. Sarah K. Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel) and Clarence K. Lam (D-Howard) and Dels. Mark S. Chang (D-Anne Arundel), Terri L. Hill (D-Howard) and Mike Rogers (D-Anne Arundel).
Rogers, who spent 29 years in the Army, picked up the endorsement this week of Democrats Serve, a national political action committee that supports candidates with a record of public service.
“Public service isn’t just a job for Mike Rogers; it’s his way of life,” said Brett Broesder, the PAC’s executive director.
In all, with Dunn’s entry, there are now 15 Democrats seeking the seat along with six Republicans. The seat is very likely to remain in Democratic hands. The district would have given Biden 62% of the vote in 2020 under the current district lines.
One barometer of how the candidates are doing will come on Jan. 31, when they are required to file their campaign finance reports, showing how much they raised and spent between late October, when Sarbanes announced his retirement plans, to the end of 2023.
