If Maryland's 6th District election was a poker match, Democrat Milad Pooran would be all in.
The Jefferson physician, whose campaign for the Democratic nomination has largely operated in the shadow of two better-known opponents, announced today he will put $200,000 of his own money into his campaign -- a significant investment of his personal savings, aides said.
The unusual decision comes after a poll the campaign conducted showed nearly 40 percent of voters were still undecided in a race that has so far been dominated by state Sen. Rob Garagiola and businessman John Delaney. Pooran, 35, has cast himself as a progressive alternative to Garagiola and Delaney.
"It's clear from our polling that the race is wide open," said Pooran, whose family emigrated from Iran when he was 6 years old. "Yes, this is a risk, and it is a lot of money for me, but as my mother said, 'We came here with nothing but six suitcases. That was a risk, too.'"
The potential impact of such as last-minute investment is not clear. For starters, Delaney and Garagiola are still likely to outspend Pooran in the final days before the April 3 primary. Delaney's campaign is expected to report raising somewhere around $739,000 since January. Garagiola's campaign has not forecast its finances and the latest Federal Election Commission reports are not likely to be public until Friday.