The brand-new Democrats waging a cynical, confusing war against Donald Trump

“He doesn’t even live here!”

The news of Harry Dunn’s plans to run for Congress in Maryland’s 3rd congressional district went off like a fart in a crowded movie theater, at least among his soon-to-be-opponents. So much for any focus on local issues whatsoever: it was time to prepare to hear the phrase “January 6” on repeat for four months.

Dunn had become a fixture on CNN because of his past career as one of hundreds of Capitol Police officers assigned to protect lawmakers on the day of the attack. Of several who testified to the January 6 committee in 2022, Dunn provided a unique, deeply personal and raw perspective as a Black officer subjected to racist taunts by rioters during the hours-long siege on America’s seat of democracy.

Once a virtual nobody, Dunn was now a well-known figure in DC circles. He was spotted at house parties hosted and attended by Washington journalists, and continued to appear in the odd cable news hit long after congressional hearings related to the attack concluded. And now, he was rocketing to the top of the power rankings (or close to it) of Democratic candidates vying in a crowded primary for a seat in Congress.

His first act was to announce his candidacy, unsurprisingly, in a CNN interview. Of course, he was the only candidate to run for the seat who scored an in-studio interview with a national news network over the course of the primary: another perk of being Washington-famous.

The district, Maryland’s third, is not “inside the Beltway” — but it’s about as close as one can get. Sandwiched between Washington DC and Baltimore, the district includes Anne Arundel and Howard counties, including the state’s capital of Annapolis and wide swath of suburbia, before extending up Interstate 70 to