By Adam Pagnucco.
District 39 Delegate Lesley Lopez, who was first elected in 2018, is running for Congress in District 6. The current office holder, David Trone, is running for U.S. Senate. This is a free shot for Lopez as her House of Delegates seat is not on the ballot until 2026. We reprint her announcement below.
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Hi Adam,
I’m Lesley Lopez, and I’m running for Congress here in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District.
In just a moment, I’m going to ask for you to chip in to my campaign’s grassroots launch goal – but first, let me explain why I need you with me in this fight.
Maryland’s 6th District has been represented by over forty different men and exactly two women. It’s been 30 years since the last woman was elected to the House from our district. Maryland has not had a woman in federal office since 2017.
I’m running for Congress to change that and more. We need a determined woman who knows how to win fierce battles to fill this open seat and take on the right-wing extremists determined to roll back our progress. A woman with a proven record of delivering results for our reproductive rights, common-sense gun safety to keep our families safe, healthcare access for all our communities, and quality childcare we can actually afford.
So here’s my ask: Adam, will you click here to watch my launch video and chip in $25 to our grassroots launch goal?
How do I know I’m tough enough to take on Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, and the extremist right wing?
Because I learned how to take on tough challenges from my mom, who raised me as a single parent while on active duty in the US Navy.
Later, our small family grew. My stepdad adopted me when I was 14 years old. I gained many new family members along with the last name of Lopez. Growing up in a family with Filipino heritage gave me a more nuanced perspective on race and is just one of the reasons I’m committed to fighting for a more just and equitable society for us all today.
My grandmother was the most formative figure in my life. She grew up in poverty during the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, and I learned so much through the many nonjudgmental conversations we had during the time I had with her. Sadly, Grandma was taken from us by smoking-related cancer during my senior year of high school.
Even after her death, Grandma continued to inspire me. I got my start in political organizing with a winning campaign to make the amphitheater for graduation smoke-free.
Student loans, financial aid, and a lot of hard work helped me earn my college degree. I worked as a journalist and later as a staffer on the Hill before running for and winning a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates.
In the legislature, I’ve led the fight to protect our reproductive rights, earned bipartisan support banning illegal ghost guns, closed the gap of healthcare workers in rural areas, and lowered childcare costs for Maryland families like mine.
If we work together, I can and will take on a broken Congress to finally pass reasonable gun safety measures on the federal level, address the opioid crisis, and always protect Social Security, Medicare, and our reproductive freedoms.
I’m Lesley Lopez, and I’m running for Congress. I’ll take on anyone who stands in the way of progress.
But this is an open seat and the district that Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell will work the hardest to flip in Maryland. It’s going to take a tough woman to keep this seat blue.
If we work together, I know our campaign’s message will resonate with voters from Garrett County to Gaithersburg. I know we can win this if everyone does their part. Will you chip in $25 or the most generous amount you can to my campaign’s grassroots fundraising launch goal?
Let’s get going!
Lesley
When she’s not busy being a mom to her two toddlers, Lesley Lopez serves the people of Maryland as a Delegate from District 39 in the Maryland General Assembly. Since she was first elected in 2018, Lesley has rapidly become an effective legislator and leader, spearheading efforts to alleviate student debt, improve the delivery and efficiency of health care, and protect the limited financial resources of economically vulnerable Marylanders. Lesley has passed legislation to strengthen gun safety laws and guarantee the rights for all women in the state. She is an adjunct professor at George Washington University and a proud union member of SEIU Local 500. Lesley lives in Germantown, MD, with her husband Richard Kelly, and their two sons, Max and Graham.
LOPEZ FOR CONGRESS
Lesley Lopez for Congress
PO Box 86931
Montgomery Village, MD 20886-6931
United States