He announced last month he was in the running for the White House.
Frederick, Md. (KM) It’s a gamble for 6th District Representative John Delaney (D-Md). He’s giving up a safe Congressional seat to run for President. But in an interview with WFMD News, Delaney acknowledges it’s a long shot. “No one runs for President and is a favorite. We’ ve had couple of examples of that over time. I suppose Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton were the favorites last time,” he says.
But Delaney says it’s a good time to enter the Presidential sweepstakes, even though the election isn’t until 2020. . “This is a long race, and it’s a long run. And what really matters is whose in it at the end, and how well they’re known and what people think of them,” he said. “And I think my strategy that we’ve just started executing on will get us there.”
Delaney announced last month that he’s not seeking a fourth term as Congressman, or run for Governor of Maryland in 2020 against incumbent Republican Larry Hogan, as had been rumored. But instead will run for President of the United States. He will be in Iowa this week, the home of the nation’s first Presidential caucus.
As part of his campaign, Delaney would like to see an end to the extreme partisanship in the country, and bring Americans together. He believes he can do that. “I think a lot of people in this country are looking for someone whose going to focus on the facts, be truthful and get things done,” he says.
“I think {President Donald} Trump is a punctuation of an old political model which is intense rhetoric, blaming the other side for every problem, and being dishonest about what’s really going on in the country,” says Delaney.
Part of Delaney’s campaign is promoting better access to education and training programs to make workers more “nimble” in the event of job disruptions. Expanding employee benefits while making them transferable to other jobs. And pushing for aggressive ways to shore up the nation’s finances and tackle climate change, according to campaign information he sent out recently.
It’s been said that Donald Trump won the blue collar vote in the 2016 elections, which is normally a Democratic constituency, because many in that population feel the new economy has passed them by. Delaney says he can address that issue with “making sure people have the skills they need, and basic benefit packages move to get a better job if they have to, and feel like they’re not trapped wherever they are,” he said.
He says he envisions the nation with a future that’s more entrepreneurial, and where people are more secure and more engaged in society.
So far, no one else has formally announced they’re running for President in 2020, but Delaney says he’s taking a different approach. “Some people are running for President, but they’re not telling anybody. So I’m just being honest about it,” he says. “I think just think having more time to talk to people, listen and share my vision I think is an asset not a liability.”
By Kevin McManus