Speed dating in District 6: Voters get personal with Democratic congressional candidates

This article, originally published at 10:58 on Dec. 18, was updated on 11:13 on Dec 18 to correct the district Joe Vogel represents.

Speed dating was the vibe that several attendees and candidates used to describe Saturday’s meet and greet with Democratic candidates for Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District in Gaithersburg.

Attendees were divided into nine small groups that traveled around to stations featuring each of the nine candidates who participated in the event. The groups had 10 minutes with each candidate, who could choose to give a pitch on their campaign, ask questions of the group, or a combination of both. The event was held at Asbury Methodist Village and was hosted by the Montgomery County Women’s Democratic Club and the Asbury Democratic Club.

Candidates George Gluck, Geoffrey Grammer, Ashwani Jain, Del. Lesley Lopez (Dist. 39), April McClain-Delaney, Joel Rubin, Montgomery County Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles (D-At-large), Del. Joe Vogel (Dist. 17) and Destiny Drake West all participated.

Women’s Democratic Club President Tazeen Ahmad said the clubs chose the format of the meet and greet to allow attendees to have personal, engaged conversations with the candidates and get to ask questions.

This reporter tagged along with one of the meet-and-greet groups to learn what voters were asking and what the candidates had to say.

Here are some of the highlights from each candidate’s ten-minute pitch, in alphabetical order:

George Gluck

Gluck, who previously was a member of the Green Party, has branded his campaign as “Clean, Lean, Green.” Gluck on Saturday listed his priorities as being anti-poverty, pro-civil rights and pro-voting rights.

A substitute teacher, Gluck has volunteered for the Green Party and Democratic campaigns, such as former President Barack Obama’s campaign, and has been an election judge for several years in Montgomery County. Gluck ran for Congress in the 2022 primary, and despite the fact he “didn’t spend a cent, didn’t knock on a door,” received 5% of the vote.

“I hate wasting money. I’m not buying signs to pollute the highway,” Gluck said, and told voters that while he appreciates contributions to the campaign, he discourages donations of more than $24.

Geoffrey Grammer

Grammer, a psychiatrist and U.S Army veteran, said one of his biggest concerns is the lack of adequate access to affordable healthcare, particularly mental health care. He said there needs to be an increased standard of care in the region, and that everyone should be able to access this care and have it covered by insurance. 

“If your insurance company denies you care, you should be able to take them to court for malpractice,” Grammer said.

Grammer said he also cares deeply about workers’ rights, and voiced his support for unions. He said another big priority for him is making it easier to register to vote and to streamline voting and election processes.

Ashwani Jain

Jain, a program director at the National Kidney Foundation, opened by saying the main reason voters should choose him is because his campaign events are free and he doesn’t accept money from PACs. He said he only works with volunteers and hasn’t hired consultants for his campaign.

“Money will never drown out your voice,” Jain said. He previously worked for the Obama administration and last year ran in the Democratic primary for governor.

Jain said he is passionate about criminal justice reform. He wants to legalize marijuana federally and expunge records of nonviolent drug offenses. He also wants to invest in affordable housing that is accessible for people with disabilities. Jain said he wants to “set the record straight” on immigration, and end partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that penalize nonviolent criminals.

Lesley Lopez

Lopez highlighted her work in the General Assembly on reproductive healthcare. She said it’s a priority for her to codify these rights on a federal level, and that it will remain a key priority for her wherever she holds office. The delegate said that as a gun violence survivor, gun safety is also a key priority, and pointed to the ghost gun legislation she sponsored in the General Assembly.

Lopez said she feels it’s also important to address the intersection of challenges facing the region. She said when speaking to people who are working in treating addiction and addressing the opioid crisis, affordable housing comes up often in addition to medical treatment. She said these issues need to be worked through together and not in silos.

“I would address that by trying to bring home money to the district that matches localized needs,” Lopez said.

April McClain Delaney

McClain Delaney, who recently left her position as deputy assistant secretary for communications and information in the Commerce Department, introduced herself by saying she not only knows the issues facing urban parts of the district, but is also familiar with rural America—she’s the daughter of an Idaho potato farmer.

McClain Delaney said she is deeply concerned about rollbacks on reproductive rights and the overturn of Roe v. Wade, and would address this issue in Congress.

“I can’t believe my daughter is going to have less reproductive freedom than I did,” McClain Delaney said.

The candidate’s other priorities include mental health—particularly for teens and tweens, addressing hate crimes and hate speech, and creating larger investments in affordable housing on the federal level.

Joel Rubin

Rubin, who has served on the national level as Obama’s deputy assistant secretary of state and locally as a former Chevy Chase town councilmember, said Democrats shouldn’t get too comfortable about the district staying blue.

“We have to keep the seat. It’s a target for Republicans,” Rubin said. “But we also have to speak to other people. There are bipartisan and transpartisan issues we need to address.”

Rubin told voters he’s a good fit for the seat because he’s a “policy expert” on local, national and foreign policy. Rubin helped found the Jewish organization J Street and led the American Jewish Congress. He’s been a frequent voice on political television news programs during the Israel-Hamas war, and said he’s passionate about “standing up against hate.”

Laurie-Anne Sayles

The Montgomery County councilmember, who just finished her first year in office, said she wants Democratic voters to stay positive, even in the face of major changes like the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

“There’s a lot of doom and gloom, but we’re not going backwards,” Sayles said. She added that she’ll continue to fight for reproductive care and other progressive causes that Republicans in Congress have pushed back against.

Sayles pointed to her experience as a county councilmember and Gaithersburg city councilmember, and said she wants to address the diverse needs of residents in urban and rural parts of the district. She said her priorities are increasing healthcare access in rural areas, broadening public transit options across the district, and address the needs of the fast-growing senior community.

Joe Vogel

Fresh off his first year as a state delegate, Vogel said he has big plans for coming year—including increasing Narcan access and working on reproductive healthcare—but one point was salient for him during his 10-minute pitch,

“Democracy is under attack,” Vogel said. “And you can’t buy an election to restore democracy.”

Vogel said he chose to run for Congress because he’s frightened the country is facing the same threats to democracy that his grandparents faced during the Holocaust and that his parents faced in Uruguay.

The delegate told voters that “everything needs a plan.” He said as an immigrant, he wants to prioritize protections for recipients of the DREAM Act, and that he wants to work toward “compassionate immigration that makes sense.”

Destiny Drake West

West told voters that as someone who grew up in poverty as the child of parents suffering addiction, she’s concerned that the rates of homelessness and poverty in the region are indicative of “failed public policy,” and that’s why she’s running for Congress. She said the government needs more people with a combination of lived experience and professional experience.

The former U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development employee said she is particularly passionate about driving down healthcare costs, and making sure healthcare is accessible to people of all backgrounds.

“We need to bring in more people from diverse backgrounds who can provide culturally competent care,” West said.

West also said she is particularly concerned about the lack of Congress members from Maryland who are women.

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