Harry Dunn put his life on the line on January 6, 2021, during the deadly uprising ignited by former President Donald Trump and his fervent MAGA supporters. Dunn, a hero in every sense of the word, lost his bid against state Sen. Sarah Elfreth in the race for Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District on Tuesday, in large part because those same MAGA supporters poured millions of dollars into his opponent’s campaign.
Elfreth’s victory, with 35,4% of the vote in comparison to Dunn’s 24.8%, positions her as a formidable candidate for the general election, aiming to succeed retiring Rep. John Sarbanes (D) in a district traditionally favoring Democrats.
Dunn, with a distinguished 15-year career in the Capitol Police force, rose to prominence for his role in defending the Capitol against rioters seeking to overturn the 2020 election results. With lawmakers, then-Vice President Mike Pence, and other lives in imminent danger, Dunn stood his ground and helped to thwart the rioters. His actions led to nationwide recognition, including appearances on cable news networks, testimony at a televised House Jan. 6 committee hearing, and authoring a memoir, “Standing My Ground.”
Despite Dunn’s national platform, his bid for Congress faced hurdles because of significant outside spending. The United Democracy Project (UDP), a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, injected over $4 million into Elfreth’s campaign, primarily funding TV advertisements in the Baltimore market.
Dunn openly criticized the influx of external funds, particularly highlighting the ties between UDP donors and prominent figures within the MAGA movement, including Trump and Republican lawmakers like Ted Cruz and Lauren Boebert.
“You look at the people that are funding UDP. There are a lot of big prominent MAGA donors, especially to Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Lauren Boebert, and several others. … And those are just the facts,” Dunn said in an interview before Election Day. “I’ve been very outspoken about how I feel against the MAGA faction of the Republican Party, including their leader, and I don’t have any regrets.”
In response, Elfreth emphasized her campaign’s adherence to legal constraints, asserting that she couldn’t coordinate with super PACs. She focused her messaging on her legislative accomplishments in Annapolis, citing successful bills on renewable energy and environmental conservation.
Elfreth also engaged with voters on pressing local issues, such as women’s reproductive rights, climate change, and disaster response, positioning herself as a responsive advocate for her constituents.
“We’ve had tornadoes in this district. We’ve had gun violence. We’ve had flooding. We’ve had a whole bunch of issues that I’ve been able to be there for folks on their hardest days,” Elfreth stated. “And that’s a really important part of the job, that at the end of the day, folks really don’t care how I vote as long as they feel like they can turn to me when they need help.”
Reflecting on the race, Dunn reiterated his concerns about outside influence in politics, while Elfreth’s win solidified her status as a frontrunner to serve in Maryland’s 3rd District.
It’s very sad that Harry Dunn lost. It looks to be due to massive amounts of money in politics!
Harry Dunn lied about when and where he was on that day at the Capitol. There is video footage that shows that he wasn’t anywhere near where he claimed to be. Harry Dunn is a fraud, a pathological liar.