A Republican running for an open House seat in a Maryland swing district is drawing criticism from his Democratic rival for some past votes on issues relating to Israel and antisemitism.

Neil Parrott, a former GOP state representative in Maryland, was among a small minority of four lawmakers who in 2020 opposed a bill prohibiting individuals from placing swastikas and other hate symbols on properties without the owner’s consent. The bill was approved by an overwhelming margin.

In 2014, Parrott also voted against a state budget bill that had included an amendment condemning antisemitism as “an intolerable and ugly form of bigotry,” while denouncing academic boycotts of Israel. The amendment had been among the final additions to the budget bill before it was passed.

April Delaney, a former Biden administration official who is facing Parrott in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District this November, took aim at the votes in a recent statement to Jewish Insider, saying that she “will never tolerate antisemitism in any form.”

“In a time of rising antisemitism and hate, including instances of vandalism in our public schools and harassment online,” the Democratic nominee told JI, “my opponent’s past failures to stand up against antisemitism are unacceptable, disturbing and emblematic of his radical and extreme record that made him ineffective in the state legislature.”

The scrutiny of Parrott’s past votes comes amid a recent uptick in antisemitic activity in Montgomery County, where several schools were vandalized last week with graffiti that included swastikas and other antisemitic messages.

In an email to JI on Monday, Parrott, who is now mounting his third consecutive bid for the House seat, defended his decision to vote against the hate crimes legislation, attributing his opposition to what he characterized as “concerns about the bill’s scope and the potential for unintended consequences.”

“I was worried about how the bill would be interpreted. It left too much open which could have led to overreach,” Parrott explained, alluding to “debates at the time about whether placing a political sign, like a Trump sign, in someone’s yard could be considered intimidation under the bill’s language. I did not believe that was a risk worth taking, given the possibility of someone facing up to three years of imprisonment for actions that could be broadly interpreted.”

The bill itself made explicit reference to just two symbols, including “an actual or depicted noose or swastika,” but its language generally related to “the use of an item or a symbol to threaten or intimidate a person or group of persons.”

Parrott also said he supported the amendment in 2014 “on a voice vote,” but opposed the bill itself because of what he called a “bloated budget” that forced the state “to continue to raise taxes and fees” under a Democratic administration. “My vote against the final bill had nothing to do with the amendment, which I clearly supported,” he told JI, noting that most Republicans rejected the budget.

“I think rather than focusing on these votes, what is more important for the Jewish community to hear is that I fully support the State of Israel,” Parrott told JI on Monday. “Unlike my opponent, who has failed to stand up to the most radical pro-Palestine interests, who have taken control of the Democrat party.”

Despite the allegation, Delaney has emerged as the clear pro-Israel favorite in the race, having notched a key endorsement from AIPAC’s political action committee, which has been relatively selective in its backing of non-incumbent House candidates this cycle.

“We are supporting April Delany because of her strong commitment to strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship and ensuring that the Jewish state has the necessary resources to defend itself,” Marshall Wittmann, a spokesperson for AIPAC, wrote in an email to JI on Monday. 

Wittmann did not address a question regarding AIPAC’s assessment of Parrott, who in contrast with Delaney does not mention his approach to Israel on the issues page of his campaign site. In a section of her campaign site addressing foreign policy issues, Delaney describes herself as “an unwavering supporter of Israel’s right to defend itself and of the unbreakable bond between our nations.”

Delaney, who is married to former Rep. John Delaney (D-MD), is also backed by Democratic Majority for Israel’s political arm, DMFI PAC.

“I believe that Israel should be able to defend itself and not have a ceasefire dictated by the Democrats in Washington,” Parrott told JI, adding that he had recently “posted on X a pro-Israel message which I am not seeing from April Delaney.”

The contest to succeed Rep. David Trone (D-MD) — who gave up his seat to mount a failed campaign for Senate — is expected to be competitive, with recent polling from Parrott’s campaign showing a neck-and-neck race more than two months before the election.