Editor’s note: More than a dozen Democrats and Republicans are running in the May 14 primary election to be their party’s nominee in the race for the 6th Congressional District seat now held by Rep. David Trone (D), who is running for the U.S. Senate. MoCo360 is running profiles of the candidates based on questionnaire answers submitted for our voters guide. Beginning with the Republican candidates, a profile will be published every weekday until the May 2 start of early voting.
Today’s profile features Republican candidate Neil Parrott.
Neil Parrott
Party: Republican
Age: 53
Residence: Hagerstown
Education: University of Maryland; Mount St. Mary’s University
Current/most recent role: State delegate, District 2A
Previous political experience: State delegate, District 2A; ran twice as GOP nominee for the 6th Congressional District in 2020 and 2022 but lost to U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-Dist. 6)
Campaign website: https://www.neilparrott.org/
Why are you running?
People matter, and right now, American families are hurting – high cost of living, struggling businesses, crime, the border crisis, and battles over what children are taught in schools. I want to work to change this and help families across the district. I’m a professional engineer and small-business owner who likes solving problems. It was my privilege to solve problems for constituents and to help them for 12 years in the House of Delegates.
I am running for Congress so that I can help people directly. As a legislator, I will work together with others to develop and implement effective solutions.
If elected, what would your priorities be within your first 100 days in Congress?
Our open border is a national crisis where the number of illegal aliens entering our country since Biden took office exceeds the entire Maryland population. The uncontrolled border results in fentanyl deaths, the spread of human trafficking, increased violent crime, and unsustainable ongoing social program costs.
I will work to pass legislation resuming the Remain in Mexico program, completing the border wall, and changing asylum standards which are used for abuse and fraud. I will work with others to increase ICE’s ability to locate, detain, and remove illegal aliens, as well as to heavily fine companies that employ illegal aliens.
What district-specific issues are you most passionate about and how would you use your platform to address them?
Every single day motorists on I-270 pay a congestion tax. Gov. Hogan had a plan to install express-toll lanes that would have widened I-270 and a section of I-495 including the American Legion Bridge. The plan was approved very late in his term and required Gov. Wes Moore to let out the contract. Instead, Moore killed the project.
Like I-270, major north/south roadways in the district need to be widened to improve safety and to increase capacity in the region. I-81, US 219, and I-270 all need to be widened. I would push for these needed transportation improvements.
What do you think Congress’ role should be when it comes to public schools? What can you do to best support the schools?
Reducing the size of the Department of Education will empower communities to make the best choices for students. Far too many public schools are failing our children, prioritizing indoctrination over basic skills. Money should follow the student. Congress should promote school choice and education savings accounts.
Congress should withhold any federal dollars from school districts that teach Critical Race Theory, allow boys to compete in girls sports, or engage in any other forms of race or sex discrimination that violate federal law.
How should Congress address crime?
Montgomery County has been plagued by carjackings, smash and grabs and retail theft. While crime is primarily a local and state issue, there’s much Congress can do.
To start, Congress must work to enforce our immigration laws to only allow people into our country that we know about and who are not criminals. We can block radical pro-crime legislation that keeps repeat offenders on the streets, prevents police from doing their jobs, and discourages new hires.
Locally, Congress has the ability to make sure D.C. passes legislation that protects citizens, punishes offenders and empowers police, rather than coddling criminals.
How should Congress address gun violence?
Legislation empowering police and prosecutors to put violent criminals behind bars is a solution. Restricting law-abiding citizens’ constitutional rights to own firearms is not. More investment in proven mental-health infrastructure would help curtail our violence epidemic. Congress can seek better enforcement of existing gun laws, especially those that combat straw purchases and black-market guns. Tough on crime, anti-gang violence initiatives at the local level have proven remarkably effective at reducing gun deaths. They fell out of favor as Democrat leaders called for defunding the police. Congress should incentivize their return.
The Dobbs v. Jackson decision in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade has changed the face of reproductive care access across the country. What should Congress’ role be in the abortion conversation?
The Dobbs decision returned the question of abortion back to the states. In Maryland, the decision had no effect since under existing Maryland state law abortions can be performed right up until birth. Even so, the Maryland legislature passed a Maryland constitutional amendment regarding this issue that will be on the ballot for the voters to decide this November. You can read about Maryland’s proposed amendment by going to healthnotharmmd.org.
The federal government should stay out of the abortion debate and leave it to the states except for exceptional cases like when they banned partial birth abortion in 2003.
The same Supreme Court decision has raised concerns about marriage rights and gender-affirming care access for LGBTQ+ people. How should Congress address this?
The Obergefell decision overturned many state laws and made same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. Maryland had already voted to recognize same-sex marriages in 2012 so the decision had no effect in Maryland.
With regard to supposed gender affirming care, I support every state that has prohibited the barbaric practices of sex change surgeries, cross-sex hormone regimens and so-called puberty blockers for minors. The rest of the world, including most of Europe, is restricting and banning these dangerous experimental procedures, and I support Congress passing a federal ban on the horrific practice of child sex change surgeries.
What should Congress’ role be in addressing a changing climate?
Congress should make targeted investments in infrastructure that keep communities safe from extreme weather events before they happen. It shouldn’t pass arbitrary legislation that does not make any meaningful impact on the climate, but makes the cost of energy much higher for Americans and forces manufacturing overseas.
The primary world polluter is China. US environmental policy should not sacrifice American manufacturing jobs to countries like China that would pollute at a much higher level to produce the same goods. Instead, trade laws should be used as one negotiating tactic to get China and other countries to pollute less.
This is the fourth in a series of candidate profiles. Check out the first profile here.