Neil Conrad Parrott (born July 30, 1970) is an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

who previously represented District 2A, which includes Hagerstown and Sharpsburg, as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

in the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

. Parrott ran for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

as a Republican in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

and

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

Maryland's 6th congressional district Maryland's 6th congressional district elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives from the northwest part of the state. The district comprises all of Garrett County, Maryland, Garrett, Allegany County, Maryland, Allegany ...

, losing both times to incumbent Democrat David Trone.

Background

Born in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

, Parrott graduated from

Old Mill High School Old Mill High School is a public high school in Millersville, Maryland, serving students in grades 9 through 12. It was occupied in 1975 and is administered by Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS). The school was built to alleviate overcrowd ...

in 1988. He went on to the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

in 1994. He later attended graduate school and in 2006 graduated from

Mount Saint Mary's University Mount St. Mary's University (The Mount) is a private Roman Catholic university in Emmitsburg, Maryland. It includes the largest Catholic seminary in the United States. The undergraduate programs are divided between the College of Liberal Arts, ...

with a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...

. Parrott began his career at the Maryland State Highway Administration where he was a traffic engineer. He went on from there to become the Deputy Director of Engineering in the

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

Department of Public Works.

In the legislature

Parrott was sworn in as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates in January 2011, representing District 2B. He was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. Due to the state's legislative redistricting passed in 2012, but not taking effect until after the 2014 general elections, District 2B and District 2A were combined to create one district. This created a two-at-large member district, District 2A. After winning re-election in his new district in 2014, Parrott continued to serve on the House Judiciary Committee.

Referendum

In 2012, Parrott founded an organization, MDPetitions.com, to coordinate petitioning laws he opposes to be placed on

ballot initiative In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a p ...

s. That year, his organization was successful in putting three laws on the ballot for repeal –

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

, in-state tuition for

undocumented immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...

, and a proposed congressional redistricting map – but all three were upheld by Maryland voters. Two later petition attempts by the organization – a 2013 bill abolishing the death penalty in Maryland, and a 2014 bill regarding certain protections for

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

Marylanders, nicknamed "the

Bathroom Bill A bathroom bill is the common name for legislation or a statute that denies access to public toilets by gender or transgender identity. Bathroom bills affect access to sex-segregated public facilities for an individual based on a determination o ...

" by its detractors – fell short of the threshold to get on the ballot.

2020 presidential election

Following the 2020 United States presidential election, Parrott traveled to

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

to observe ballots being counted. Following the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack, Parrott said the majority of attendees at the preceding rally "were simply there to support fair elections," and were unaware "that some people were going to try to take over the rally and make it violent."

Electoral history

; 2010 general election for Maryland House of Delegates – District 2B ::Voters to choose one: : ; 2014 primary for Maryland House of Delegates – District 2A ::Voters to choose two: : ; 2014 general election for Maryland House of Delegates – District 2A ::Voters to choose two: :

References

External links

NeilParrottForDelegate
campaign web site
Delegate Neil Parrott
official web site {{DEFAULTSORT:Parrott, Neil 1970 births 21st-century American politicians Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections Living people Republican Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates