Veterans’ PAC ruffles feathers by not endorsing a veteran in Md. congressional race

VoteVets PAC is a political action committee that sprouted up in the 2006 election cycle, when Democrats were looking to find military veterans to run for public office after Republicans, following the 9-11 terrorist strikes, tried to corner the market on patriotism. The PAC’s founders were inspired by a special congressional election in 2005, when an Iraq War veteran and Democrat named Paul Hackett nearly defeated the Republican nominee in a very conservative suburban Ohio district.

Since then, the PAC has helped elect scores of Democratic military veterans to public offices, including Gov. Wes Moore (D) and state Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) in Maryland.

The PAC raised more than $37.6 million during the 2022 election cycle, according to Open Secrets, a website that tracks money in politics. In 2022, VoteVets spent just shy of $400,000 on independent expenditures to boost Brown in his competitive Democratic primary race, and the PAC cut a $6,000 check to Moore’s campaign.

The 22-candidate Democratic primary in Maryland’s 3rd congressional district this year features four military veterans — businessman Juan Dominguez, attorney Don Quinn, software developer Jake Pretot, and Del. Mike Rogers (D-Anne Arundel).

But when it came time to back a contender in the Democratic primary, did VoteVets PAC opt for one of the veterans? It did not. Instead, the PAC announced this week that it is backing Harry Dunn, the former U.S. Capitol Police officer and Jan. 6, 2021 hero, in the race. And at least one veteran is not happy.

On the VoteVets website, where the PAC identifies the candidates it endorses by the military unit in which they served, Dunn is listed as a defender of U.S. national security.

“Harry Dunn has already stood in the halls of Congress and defended our democracy. He did it as a heroic Capitol Police officer and he will do it again as a Congressman,” said Travis Tazelaar, political director of VoteVets PAC. “In these unprecedented times, people like Harry, and his background and experiences, are the exact kind of people we need in Congress. He will be a tireless fighter for our democracy, our veterans, our freedoms, and all Marylanders in Congress. Put simply, Harry knows how to serve and how to get things done.”

Tazelaar is a familiar figure in Maryland politics. He was Ben Jealous’ campaign manager during the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial election and was an executive director of the Maryland Democratic Party, among other Free State gigs.

Dominguez, who saw combat in the Army during the Gulf War, was incensed by the endorsement, and said he was never contacted by the PAC until Tazelaar called him to tell him the group was endorsing Dunn.

“Today’s endorsement by VoteVets is a disheartening example of politics as usual, where the influence of money has overshadowed the voices and sacrifices of the veterans who have served our country to defend our democracy for years,” Dominguez said. “It is a betrayal not just to the veteran candidates in this race but to over 300,000 Maryland veterans who deserve representatives who have shared their sacrifices and understand their military service.”

Dominguez said he would not have minded if the PAC had decided to endorse one of the other veterans in the primary — or no one.

Through the years, however, VoteVets PAC has moved beyond just supporting Democratic veterans. It may also back Democrats who are national security officials, members of military families, and candidates with other records of service. And it has been clear for a while in this primary that whatever benefit the veterans in the race were going to get from being in the “national security lane” has largely been eclipsed by Dunn’s high profile and the headlines generated by the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Dunn’s father was a veteran. He was born and raised on Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and worked in the commissary there when he was growing up. And then there were his 15 years as a police officer on Capitol Hill.

“I am the proud son of an Air Force veteran who taught me the important values of service and honor. We owe our veterans everything, that’s why I’ll always stand up for those who served our nation,” Dunn said. “When I get to Congress, veterans in Maryland can count on me to fight for them and their families.”

Dunn continues to rack up high-profile endorsements, adding former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) to the list on Friday. Whether those national Democratic celebrities move the voters in the 3rd District, who have a handful of well-established state lawmakers to choose from among all the other candidates, remains to be seen.