Former Navy flight officer announces candidacy for 6th Congressional District
A Germantown Republican has joined the race to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. David Trone, D-6th.
Tom Royals announced in a YouTube video last week that he is running in the district that includes all of Washington, Allegany, Garrett and Frederick counties and part of Montgomery County.
In the video, Royals notes that he was inspired by the 9/11 attacks and his grandfather’s example to apply to the United States Naval Academy. He eventually became a naval flight officer, serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.
On his campaign website, Royals says he is running for office “to fight for the common-sense conservative values of Maryland’s working families and to reverse the dangerous agenda of Biden and the socialist left that threatens the rights of parents and the integrity of the traditional family.”
The Royals website says that after his military service, he earned an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and built a career as an IT sales executive.
The website also says he met his wife, Cathleen Corcoran, in Emmitsburg, Md., at Mother Seton Shrine at the annual Maritime Services Mass in October 2003. They have eight children.
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Who else is running for the 6th District?
The field is crowded on both sides of the aisle in the race to replace David Trone, who announced earlier this summer that he was seeking to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat.
Hagerstown Mayor Tekesha Martinez announced earlier this month that she was seeking the Democratic nomination.
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Democrat Destiny Drake West, the founder and CEO of a policy institute who has served in various unelected positions in county, state and federal government, also filed with the Federal Election Commission for the 6th Congressional District seat.
State Reps. Joe Vogel and Lesley Lopez, both Democrats who represent Montgomery County districts, have also filed for the seat with the Federal Election Commission.
Other Democrats who have run for state in the 6th District include Stephen McDow, once the director of partners for the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, and George Gluck, a mathematician who ran in last year’s primary.
Across the aisle, Republican Neil Parrott announced he has formed an exploratory committee for the seat. If Parrott runs, it would follow two of his unsuccessful attempts to win the district, which Trone, a wine retailer, won again in 2022.
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Mariela Roca, who ran against Parrott last year, along with Brenda Thiam, who served two terms with Parrott in the state Legislature, are among the other Republicans who have registered with the Federal Election Commission in the state’s 6th Congressional District.
Other Republican candidates are Chris Hyser, a retired state trooper, and Todd Puglisi, a McDonald’s employee running for U.S. Senate. in 2022.
Corderman receives a 100% rating from the pro-business group
The Maryland Free Enterprise Foundation recently gave state Sen. Paul Corderman, R-Washington/Frederick, a 100 percent rating, indicating a position favorable to business/professional growth, according to a news release from the group.
The self-described statewide nonpartisan organization included Corderman in its rankings in the 2023 edition of its annual publication. To rollcall.
“Each year, the Maryland Free State Advisory Council identifies recorded votes from the most recent session of the General Assembly that impact, positively or negatively, a healthy business climate and job growth throughout Maryland,” the press release states.
“A score of at least 70 percent indicates that a legislator supports a strong business climate and economic growth in our state,” the statement said.
“I am proud to advocate for policies that benefit businesses in our community and state,” Corderman said in the news release. “When businesses thrive, more jobs are created, the tax base grows and our quality of life thrives — everyone wins.”
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