A campaign that 'knocks the socks off': Martinez says she's running for Congress (2024)

She joins an increasingly crowded Democratic field of candidates eyeing the seat

Feeling energized by her rise in local politics over the last three years, Hagerstown Mayor Tekesha Martinez on Wednesday announced she will run for Maryland's 6th district U.S. House of Representatives seat being vacated by Democrat David Trone.

The 45-year-old Martinez, a Democrat, made her announcement during a 5:30 p.m. gathering at Vibez Lounge on South Potomac Street that was attended by dozens of supporters and a few current and former local elected officials.

The moment began with a video where Martinez spoke about her tough beginning in Hagerstown, which included growing up in foster care and having children early. But she decided to "rewrite" her life, which evolved into her becoming a professional mediator and later a Hagerstown City Council member.

Shouts and applause went up from the crowd when Martinez announced she was running for Congress.

"I think this is our time. I think this is Western Maryland's time," Martinez told the crowd.

Martinez has filed her candidacy papers with the Federal Election Commission to run for the seat next year. The primary election is May 14 and a number of other Democratic candidates have already announced their intention to run.

The general election is Nov. 5.

What convinced Martinez to run for Congress ?

Martinez said in an interview before her announcement that when she was elected to Hagerstown City Council in 2020, she first thought she would only serve one four-year term. But she said that changed once she got the full experience of it.

She got a council seat and more.

In February, Martinez was named mayor to replace former mayor Emily Keller, who was tapped by Gov. Wes Moore to be his special secretary for opioid response. When Martinez ascended to the position, she became Hagerstown's first Black mayor.

Previously: With 11 months before election, candidates consider Congress, fewer file state paperwork

Serving on the council along with Shelley McIntire and Tiara Burnett, also a woman of color, Martinez is part of an administration that's been the most diverse in gender and racial makeup in its history. Keller became Hagerstown's first female mayor when she was elected in 2020.

Martinez likes the ride so far.

"I got in and I said 'Whoa, I like politics.’ But that's because I'm relational," said Martinez, referring to her mediation work and other efforts.

It took some coaxing

But in some respects, Martinez said the idea of running for Congress was still something that gave her hesitation when she first thought about it.

She said it came about when some Democratic supporters, including those from a data analytics group, said it was vital that the seat remain Democratic. And there was a push to find someone in Western Maryland "who has a strong voice" and would be a good candidate, Martinez said. Troneannounced his candidacyfor Senate four months after starting his third term in Congress, waiting three days after the state’s senior U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, also a Democrat, said he wouldn’t run in 2024.

Martinez said Brett Guessford, who organized a campaign for state Del. Brooke Grossman, D-Washington, was among those talking to her about running for the congressional seat. She described Guessford as a Halfway native who recently graduated from Georgetown University and is a "young person fired up about politics."

Still treading carefully about a congressional run, Martinez said she agreed to have dinner in late March in Washington, D.C., with those interested in seeing her run, and decided to go for it.

But Martinez said her announcement doesn't mean she's ignoring the duties of mayor. She said she remains committed to seeing that the revitalization of downtown remains on track, and added that she consulted City Administrator Scott Nicewarner and the Hagerstown City Council about her intentions.

An interview with the mayor: She once hated Hagerstown. Why? An in-depth interview with Mayor Tekesha Martinez

They were supportive, she said. And should she win, Martinez said the transition would be smooth since the election for mayor and the five council members is also on Nov. 5, when Keller's unexpired term she is filling out ends.

Martinez said she remains committed to leading the city and heading up a congressional run that "knocks the socks off the region. I can do both," she said.

She assured the crowd during Wednesday evening's event that she's not using her role as mayor as a "ladder" to achieve her political goals. If she wins and heads to the capital, Martinez said she will still be in Hagerstown too.

"I want your Congress member to walk your streets of Hagerstown. I want you to be able to reach out and me still be that same accountable, present person," she said.

A number of supporters spoke, including Bill Kick of Chambersburg, Pa. Kick said he met Martinez a few years ago and is inspired by her life experiences.

Kick said if anyone can walk "into the cesspool of Washington" and come out with the same personality, it's Martinez.

Who else is running for the seat?

Democrat Destiny Drake West, the founder and CEO of a policy institute, who has worked in various unelected roles in county, state and federal government, also filed with the Federal Election Commission for the 6th Congressional District seat.

State delegates Joe Vogel and Lesley Lopez, both Democrats representing Montgomery County districts, have also filed with the Federal Election Commission for the seat.

Other Democrats who have filed with the state in the 6th District include Stephen McDow,once the director of membershipfor the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, and George Gluck, a mathematician who ran in last year’s primary.

On the other side of the aisle, Republican Neil Parrott announced he has formed an exploratory committee for the seat. If Parrott does run, it would follow two of his unsuccessful attempts to win the district that Trone, a wine retailer, won again in 2022.

Mariela Roca, who ran against Parrott last year, along with Brenda Thiam, who served for two sessions with Parrott in the state Legislature, are among the other Republicans who have registered with the Federal Election Commission in the state’s 6th Congressional District.

Other Republican candidates are Chris Hyser, a retired state trooper, and Todd Puglisi, a McDonald’s employee who ran for U.S. Senatein 2022.