In a surprise move to many, local Maryland Congressman John K. Delaney announced July 28 that he is running for president.
He is the first Democrat to announce his candidacy for the 2020 election.
Delaney currently serves in the U.S. House representing Maryland’s 6th District, which includes most of Potomac along with a swath of the county stretching north to Frederick and including all of western Maryland.
His campaign focus is the future, he says in an opinion piece in the Washington Post announcing his presidential run July 28 and on his official campaign website.
He directly refers to the future five times in his announcement.
“Our government is hamstrung by excessive partisanship,” he wrote. “We are letting critical opportunities to improve the country pass us by. We are not even talking about the most important thing: the future …. The current administration is making us less prosperous and less secure. I am running because I have an original approach to governing that can put us on a different course.”
Delaney did not mention the current president in his announcement but did point out problems with present day Washington.
“The American people are far greater than the sum of our political parties,” he wrote. “It is time for us to rise above our broken politics and renew the spirit that enabled us to achieve the seemingly impossible. That is why I am running for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States.”
“Our government is hamstrung by excessive partisanship,” he wrote. “We are letting critical opportunities to improve the country pass us by. We are not even talking about the most important thing: the future…. The current administration is making us less prosperous and less secure. I am running because I have an original approach to governing that can put us on a different course.”
He says he is uniquely suited for the job.
“As a progressive businessman, I’ve made it a priority to be solutions-oriented and have been consistently recognized as one of the most innovative and bipartisan members of Congress,” Delaney wrote.
In his letter Delaney also said he will not run for reelection the House of Representatives in order to devote his time to the presidential race.
“No games, no cat-and-mouse, no backup plan at the 11th hour if a focus group goes badly,’ he said.
Roger Berliner, Democrat, president of the Montgomery County Council who represents Potomac, said he thinks highly of Delaney’s abilities as a politician.
“I have a great deal of respect for John Delaney,” he said. “Whenever I have heard him speak I come away with respect for his grasp of the issues. I wish him the best of luck.”
Delaney lives in Potomac with his wife, April, and four daughters.