Former gubernatorial candidate Jain files to run for Congress

Aug. 29—Ashwani Jain, who ran for governor in 2022 but lost in the Democratic primary, has filed to run for Congress in Maryland's 6th District.

Jain, who lives in Gaithersburg, is a program director at the National Kidney Foundation. He previously served as the director of outreach for the Cancer Moonshot initiative spearheaded by then-Vice President Joe Biden.

In an email to The Frederick News-Post on Tuesday, Jain confirmed that he filed his statement of candidacy last week, but said he did not wish to comment before his campaign kickoff event in early October.

During his gubernatorial campaign in 2022, Jain advocated for the expansion of Medicaid eligibility, the legalization of cannabis and the removal of school resource officers from public schools, among other issues.

He finished seventh out of 10 candidates in the Democratic primary, receiving 2.05% of the vote.

Jain is the 11th Democrat to enter the race for the U.S. House of Representatives seat currently held by Rep. David Trone, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate instead of re-election.

Aside from Jain, Democratic candidates for the seat include:

— George Gluck, a mathematician from Rockville

— Stephen R. McDow II, an entrepreneur from Monrovia

— Lesley Lopez, a state delegate representing District 39 in Montgomery County

— Joe Vogel, a state delegate representing District 17 in Montgomery County

— Destiny Drake West, founder of the Drake Institute for Women's Policy

— Mia Mason, a U.S. military veteran and Frederick resident

— Tekesha Martinez, the mayor of Hagerstown

— Joel Rubin, a former State Department official and political pundit

— Laurie-Anne Sayles, an at-large member of the Montgomery County Council

— Geoffrey Grammer of Gaithersburg

Six Republicans have gotten in the race:

— Chris Hyser, a retired Maryland State Police trooper

— Todd Puglisi, a food service worker from Gaithersburg

— Mariela Roca, a medical logistics manager from Frederick

— Brenda Thiam, a former state delegate from Hagerstown

— Tom Royals, a former U.S. Navy officer from Germantown

— Heath Barnes, the burgess of Woodsboro

Two other politicians have expressed interest in the seat, but have yet to officially confirm their candidacy — former state Del. Neil Parrott of Hagerstown and former Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner.

In an email to the News-Post on Tuesday, Parrott wrote that his campaign was still "in the exploratory stage." Gardner could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

The deadline to file for candidacy is Feb. 9, 2024. The 2024 primary election will take place on May 14 and the general election will be held on Nov. 5.