Democratic darlings who rose to stardom due to their high-profile involvements in cases concerning former President Donald Trump are creating problems for career politicians in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
The new stars are proving to be powerful fundraisers. Their pseudocelebrity status has let them transition from careers in law enforcement and the military into politics. But despite their proficiency at bringing in cash, they might end up splitting their party as they lean on the unpopularity of Trump rather than the wealth of experience that comes with a career legislating.
Standing 6 feet, 7 inches tall, former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn is one of 22 Democratic candidates looking to replace Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD). Dunn defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, and he has given testimony before the House during hearings investigating the incident. His service and testimony have earned him the endorsements of high-profile House Democrats, including Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA).
“Democracy is the bigger issue here,” Dunn told the Hill. “It’s so many things that are at stake right now. Like, we’ve talked about women’s reproductive rights and gun safety, lower price, health, all that stuff doesn’t matter if we have a dictator in the White House that could do whatever he wants to do.”
Campaign officials said Dunn has raised $3.7 million in the quarter. Meanwhile, his closest competitor in terms of fundraising is state Sen. Sarah Elfreth, who raised just more than $400,000 last year. It’s stardom vs. experience, as Elfreth has served in the state Senate since 2018 and secured 84 bills.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) is leaving her competitive seat to run for governor. Yevgeny Vindman, who goes by Eugene, gained notoriety for his and his twin brother’s role in Trump’s first impeachment, in which Trump was accused of extorting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. An army veteran and former human rights lawyer, Vindman raised $2 million in his first six weeks of campaigning. His closest rival, Margaret Franklin, a Prince William County supervisor, raised just $122,894.
Like Dunn, Vindman is running on the coattails of the threats that persist to democracy.
“There are certainly a small subset of folks that it is not enough for,” Vindman told the New York Times. “But the vast majority of folks do think that democracy is the most important issue because they see it very much like I see it. Every other issue is rolled into it.”
Meanwhile, Democratic candidates in Pennsylvania with a lower profile are seeking to unseat Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), running with the narrative that democracy is also threatened with Perry in office. In 2022, the FBI seized Perry’s phone in connection to the House committee’s investigation into the congressman’s role in ousting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen in the hopes of overturning the 2020 election.
The top contenders in this district race are Mike O’Brien, a former Marine Corps officer and fighter pilot, and Janelle Stelson, a former television news broadcaster. Both are vying to unseat Perry.
Stelson dismisses Perry for being the only member of Congress to vote against giving a gold medal to police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6. However, Stelson is more focused on discussing abortion access and the price of groceries than she is on Republicans’ perceived threats to democracy.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“It’s certainly a large part of the story,” Stelson told the New York Times. “It’s not the whole story.”
Meanwhile, O’Brien has labeled Perry’s involvement in overthrowing the election results as his No. 1 problem.