After spending 22 years in the military, earning three master’s degrees, and raising four children, Marine veteran Chris Burnett told the Washington Examiner he was ready to “just comfortably exist.”
But frustrations about the decline of the middle class in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, which he said has been spurred by a “series of millionaires… playing national politics at the expense of the residents,” drove him to launch a campaign challenging Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-MD).
Burnett, during a phone interview, described a sweeping vision for the district, one that seeks to target a culture of “hyper taxation” and “overregulation,” he says, has twisted energy, artificial intelligence, data center, and education policies against residents and stifled the “entrepreneurial spirit” the candidate believes is needed to power an “AI economy.” Heading into the midterm elections, he warned that Democrats are “absolutely being overconfident,” saying their records show little more than strong rhetoric.
“They talk about affordability, they don’t have any solutions,” he said. “I’ve been deployed multiple times, and I’ve never been to a place quite like this where there was such an over-dependence on the federal government and federal employment. You don’t have to look far to see that there’s no real opportunity for middle-class families.”
The Republican field
Ahead of June’s GOP primary, other Republicans, most notably former Maryland Delegate Neil Parrott, are rivaling Burnett in efforts to topple Delaney, or former Rep. David Trone (D-MD), who is angling to unseat the congresswoman in the Democratic primary. Noting Parrott and other primary opponents have already run unsuccessful campaigns targeting Trone and Delaney, Burnett contended he could make the election more competitive, and suggested it’s time for them to pass the baton.
“I want to build on the groundwork he’s laid. I want to pick up where he’s left off, and try to close that gap in part,” Burnett said of Parrott, suggesting the “statesman” has become “vulnerable” to Democrat attacks after years in politics. “I’m coming into this with a different approach, trying to build on the success of others, and finally make Western Maryland Republican again.”
No clear Republican front-runner has emerged in the race. Burnett has maintained more cash on hand than some rivals despite lower overall fundraising.
1. The AI economy
Maryland’s economy poses certain challenges for residents, with a high cost of living often cited as a reason the state has experienced one of the highest net migration rates nationwide. The state is staring down a $1 billion deficit, while a 2025 study found Marylanders require the most money of any state to be considered middle class. Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) signed off on tax cuts last year, but faced criticism from the other side of the aisle for not doing more.
Burnett views data center reform and development as an antidote. The facilities relied upon to power the AI revolution loom increasingly large in Maryland, including in his own district, which covers Garrett, Allegany, Washington, and Frederick counties, as well as a portion of Montgomery County. A massive facility is currently being built in Buckeystown, even as several state lawmakers have complained that a chaotic regulatory environment poses challenges to such development.
Burnett’s “Innovation Corridor” proposal is heavily centered on reforming and expanding data centers. The project seeks to fortify major infrastructure to spur an economic renaissance based on boosting jobs in the artificial intelligence, semiconductor manufacturing, and energy sectors.
The plan relies on at least $8 billion in federal infrastructure funding, Burnett said, arguing that it aligns with national security interests because of Washington’s agenda to dominate the AI race. Private dollars will follow government interests, he suggested, creating thousands of jobs and steering the district from stagnation.
“The AI economy is here, and we are not in a position to compete,” he said of the district. “We want to have a closed supply chain as much as possible for AI, quantum computing, and advanced manufacturing…you have big tech companies that want to come to Maryland, and they’re going to come here. Question is, can we in some way dictate how they arrive and what that investment looks like?”
2. Data centers
The first stage of the plan involves fixing the district’s largest bridge and renovating three of its most important highways: the American Legion Memorial Bridge, along with I-270, I-70, and I-68.
The infrastructure renewal is key to capitalizing on the AI revolution, Burnett says. He wants to place new data centers designated as “innovation or opportunity zones” on land along federal highways or in vacant industrial facilities.
The candidate believes the proposal would void the “piecemeal” approach that has sparked “overdevelopment” and has “steamrolled” many locals in neighboring Virginia. There, controversy has simmered about data centers in residential areas due to the intrusion of power lines, diesel generators that can contaminate surface water, and other components that the electricity-intensive facilities necessitate.
“Each developer is coming in, and he’s going to try to maximize his return on the investment, and local residents are pushing back and saying, we’re not going to give you anything, and so you don’t even get a compromise. You just get nothing, or whatever the developer wants,” Burnett said. “There is not a consistent standard.”
“By designating an opportunity zone, we’re saying you’re going to have to build to our specifications in terms of safety, health, and environmental standards… and this is known before any developer breaks ground on any project,” he added. “You’re aligning federal money security priorities with the corridor that’s going to support local residents with AI, quantum, and advanced manufacturing.”
Burnett wants to require new data centers to source their own energy through a small modular reactor, a move he says will keep electricity prices stable and take pressure off the public energy grid. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission could approve modular reactors for commercial usage as soon as January 2027, he said, hoping that the Department of Energy will expedite the process.
3: Foreign policy
Burnett aims to bring a background in national security to Congress. During his time in the Marines, he served as a senior operational law adviser to the U.S. Southern Command from 2017 to 201, working on an array of international issues regarding countries such as South America, China, and Russia.
Burnett answered in the affirmative when asked if foreign policy would be at the top of his agenda in Washington, should he win the election.
“Foreign policy, national security, is always going to be a priority —that drives so many other discussions, from economic interests, our border questions, rule of law, and just our overall posture,” he said.
Burnett spoke favorably of President Donald Trump’s recent move to topple former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro in a controversial military operation.
“I think the approach, right now in South America, of re-establishing ourselves as a hemispheric leader… and then ultimately setting things up so that we can enjoy some level of autonomy in our own hemisphere without the threat of Russia or China intervening, is a step in the right direction,” he said.
Burnett also referenced the ongoing protests against the Iranian government, which partners with Russia and China. At the time of his interview, the candidate did not believe U.S. military intervention on behalf of protesters was the best course of action at the moment.
“Is it aligning with other partners in the region to put pressure on Iran? And what is in the best interest of the Iranian people if the regime is unable or unwilling to assist them? Is there a need to intervene for humanitarian purposes?” he questioned. “These are all very difficult questions to answer.”
4. Immigration and ICE
Burnett’s attitude toward Immigration and Customs Enforcement stands in contrast to Delaney, who has been outspoken in criticizing the agency since an ICE officer killed a Minnesota woman who struck him with her SUV earlier this month, causing internal bleeding. During a Minnesota field hearing on the matter Friday, Delaney decried the agency’s “lawless, cruel, unconstitutional actions,” and spoke out against an ICE facility reportedly being planned for Hagerstown.
After being pressed on his stance, Burnett said he would support the use of such a facility “in furtherance of the enforcement of federal law,” though he emphasized it has not been publicly confirmed. An ICE spokesperson said the agency “has no detention centers to announce at this time.”
When it comes to enforcing immigration law, Burnett accused Democrats of hypocrisy on the border, referencing the sweeping fraud reports in Minnesota.
“They talk about the rule of law, yet they let our border get completely wide open and flood the country, and they have now perpetuated the fraud associated with a lack of accountability,” Burnett said. “At some point, they’ve got to look in the mirror and say, ‘Okay, if we’re going to say rule of law, then we’ve got to secure the border. We’ve got to enforce the laws on the books.’ If we don’t like the laws, then we need to run on how we’re going to change the laws, not stand in opposition to how they’re being enforced.”
Message to Democrats
The 6th Congressional District is Maryland’s most politically purple district, favoring Democrats, but seeing close races. Delaney won the 2024 election by under seven percentage points.
While Delaney has often sought to appeal to both sides of the aisle, even signing onto the Laken Riley Act last year, Burnett believes Democrats who have controlled the House seat for over a decade have become complacent, “thinking that just being on an anti-Trump platform is enough to govern.”
When asked which candidate he would prefer to face in the general, Burnett described Delaney and Trone as “cut from the same cloth,” and suggested their record would work against them in the midterm election.
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“You have two out-of-district, multi-millionaires,” he said. “Their approach, of course, is always to tax more, spread around—basically share the crumbs of federal entitlement dollars. But they don’t know how to create opportunity.”
“I think they’re tapping into some frustration and anger that is enough to get people out and holding signs,” he added. “That is enough to get people out in protesting. I do not think that’s enough to win elections.”