Harry Dunn, a former Capitol Police officer whose battles with supporters of former President Donald J. Trump on Jan. 6, 2021 and beyond, catapulted to political stardom, he was greeted Tuesday night in Annapolis, Manchester, like a celebrity.
But there was an undercurrent of skepticism among those in attendance at the Beacon Waterfront restaurant, where he appeared at a campaign event to boost his bid for the U.S. House.
“We have a person here with a proven legislative record,” Jessica Sunshine, D-Annapolis, told Mr. Dunn, referring to Sen. Sarah Elfreth, his primary challenger in next month’s Democratic primary. But, he added, “You have heart.”
But Mr. Dunn, a towering former offensive lineman who stands 6’5 and 325 pounds, hasn’t shied away from why he’s running: to save what he sees as a dying democracy. “Right now, right now? It requires a fighter,” he said.
He’s not the only one making this case to Democrats.
Over the next three months, primaries in three Mid-Atlantic House districts — from the suburbs of Washington, D.C., to Harrisburg, Pa. — will test the power of memories of Jan. 6, and whether the battle cry of “save democracy” will be enough even for Democratic voters who have many other concerns.
For many voters, party celebrity is virtually the only factor in their support for candidates such as Mr. Dunn, who played a leading role in the Jan. 6 hearings, and Yevgeny Vindman, who follows Eugene and with the identical his twin brother, Alexander; , played a key role in highlighting Mr. Trump’s effort to hard-arm Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Margaret Pepin, 71, couldn’t believe it when Mr. Widman rang her doorbell Tuesday afternoon in Occoquan, Virginia, and his unmistakable face, made famous during Mr. Trump’s first impeachment, appeared on her security screen. “I looked at my ring. I said, “Is that really him?” he said, acknowledging that she might have mistaken him for his better-known twin brother. “I’m excited.”
The celebrity-candidate factor has allowed “save the democracy” candidates to raise so much money nationally that these less experienced Democrats will dominate the airwaves. But with issues like abortion, guns, inflation and immigration competing for attention, their victories are not guaranteed — even in a Democratic primary where the threat to democracy will be a key issue in a year with Mr. Trump on the ballot.
“There’s definitely a small subset of people for whom it’s not enough,” Mr. Vindman said of his campaign’s focus. “But the vast majority of people think that democracy is the most important issue, because they see it very much the way I do. All other issues fit into that.”
Voters will soon have their say.
In Pennsylvania, Democratic voters will head to the polls on April 23 to choose between the two front-runners, Janelle Stelson and Mike O’Brienand four others, all hoping to take on Representative Scott Perry, a conservative Republican who has been deeply involved in Mr. Trump’s bid to stay in office after losing the 2020 election.
Mr. O’Brien, a former Marine Corps officer and fighter pilot, has made preserving democracy the focus of his candidacy. Ms. Stelson, a former TV news anchor with strong name recognition, has made this issue one of many.
Mr. Dunn is one of 22 Democrats vying to succeed Rep. John Sarbanes, who is retiring, in Maryland’s May 14 primary election that will almost certainly decide the next House member for the state’s heavily Democratic Third District. His opponents include Ms. Elfreth, a state senator backed by the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee, two veteran members of the Maryland House of Representatives and a prominent gun-control activist.
Mr. Vindman — another new candidate — is seeking to replace Representative Abigail Spanberger, who is running for governor and hopes primary voters in her fringe Democratic district will side with him on June 18 over seven other Democrats.
Mr. Vindman, an Army colonel who was fired by Mr. Trump’s National Security Council over his connection to the first impeachment inquiry, and Mr. Dunn, the former Capitol police officer, have become darlings of the set of Democratic activists, turning fame into huge fundraising advantages.
The money followed the “save democracy” movement.
Mr. Vindman had raised more than $2 million by the end of last year, $1.5 million from donors whose contributions were too small to require disclosure. Those with bigger gifts include Tom Daschle, the former Senate majority leader, and actor Mark Hamill, known widely for his role as Luke Skywalker and more narrowly as Mr. Trump’s staunch foe.
His closest fundraising rival, Prince William County Supervisor Margaret Franklin, raised $122,894.
Because Mr. Dunn did not officially launch his campaign until January, he has not yet been forced to disclose fundraising numbers, but campaign officials say he will announce first-quarter totals next week that will be close to 3, 7 million dollars. His closest competitor, Ms. Elfreth, raised just over $400,000 last year, but has significant financial backing from outside groups.
Not surprisingly, the celebrity candidacies of Mr. Vindman and Mr. Dunn caused some jitters among elected Democrats who had served in local offices waiting for a chance to run for the House. In both races, women, many of whom are minorities, feel particularly aggrieved.
“Yes, this campaign is about saving democracy, but it’s also about claiming the civil gains, human rights and women’s rights that people have fought and died for and are losing,” said Terri L .Hill, a physician who has served in Maryland. House of Representatives for almost a decade.
“I have great respect for his heroism,” she said of Mr. Dunn. “I really respect what he did on Jan. 6, 2021, but I’m really focused on Jan. 6, 2025,” when the next Congress takes office.
The race for Maryland’s Third District may be the purest version of the tension between celebrity and worker, with Mr. Dunn, a political newcomer, facing Ms. Elfreth, an experienced lawmaker who has secured 84 bills since then who was elected as the youngest woman. state senator in Maryland history in 2018.
Mr. O’Brien called Mr. Perry’s role in the 2020 effort to overturn the election of “No. 1 issue” and believes voters agree. “In primaries, Democrats are interested first and foremost in democracy itself,” he said.
But with the April 23 primary just weeks away, Mr O’Brien is seen as the underdog against Ms Stelson, who is more tactful as she talks about women’s rights, abortion access and the price of petrol and of groceries.
“It’s definitely a big part of the story,” he said of Jan. 6 and Mr. Perry. “It’s not the whole story.”
But for national Democrats, the highest-stakes district may be in Virginia, since the party can’t afford to lose a seat it holds now. Democratic opponents worry about Mr. Vindman’s vulnerabilities — he is a relative newcomer to Northern Virginia, voting there for the first time in 2022.
His 25 years as the Army’s attorney should serve him well even with some Republican voters in a district with four military installations, he said. But it sometimes slips into the tongues of Trump’s staunch foes who have embraced him.
“Will there be people who hate my guts for what I did to their orange prophet?” he asked, referring to Mr. Trump. “Undoubtedly.”
