Mia Mason is a military veteran and transgender woman.
Frederick, Md (KM) Another candidates has thrown her hat into the ring in the 6th District Congressional Race in Maryland. Mia Mason, a Democrat, has announced she is running for the seat in 2024.
Mason is a military veteran and a transgender woman who ran unsuccessfully against Republican incumbent Andy Harris in the 1st Congressional District in 2020. . “He went to the Supreme Court and said basically that we should not exist, and we do not exist. And I proved him that we are a part of this community. And even with redistricting, I’m now looking to run again and represent us in Maryland District Six,” she said.
This Congressional seat has opened up now that the current incumbent, Representative David Trone, is running for the US Senate seat which will soon be vacated by Senator Ben Cardin who has decided not to see another term in office.
She also says she lives in Frederick County. Trone came under criticism in the last election for not living in the 6th District.
Mason says one of the big issues she will emphasize in her campaign is education. “We want to make sure that after school programs come back in full force ,” she said. “It was one of the things that I saw decline before I joined the military. That was stripped away: band, chorus practice, football, lacrosse, horseback riding, shop. We need those things back.”
She also says health care has become very expensive, noting that many families pay an average of $3,000 per moth for coverage. “If we’re able to take another step toward Medicare for all, we should be able to do that by hopefully lowering the age, and lowering the price per year to under $6,000 for an entire family,” says Mason
And with the all of the smoke, smog and air pollution which hung over the area earlier this summer. Mason says climate change is another issue she hopes to emphasize in her run for Congress. “We need to make all that is given with the authority and power to the EPA to enforce and provide regulation and new business opportunities to have greatly improve power generation capabilities throughout western Maryland and what we’re now doing on the Eastern Shore,:” she says.
In the 2024 race for the 6th District House seat, Mason is joined by fellow Democrats George Gluck and Stephen R. McDow II. The Republicans running are Chris Hyser, Todd Puglisi and Marieta Roca.
Primary election day next year is May 14th. The general election is November 5th.
By Kevin McManus