“Do you think frequently of your father, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr., the former mayor of Baltimore?

My father died the year I was elected to Congress, 1987. I think about my parents all the time, especially on Sunday when I’m at Mass. My mother always said: “We do not pray to win elections. We pray for people’s health, we pray that God’s will be done, we pray that we do our best. But we do not pray to win elections.”

Are you saying you have never prayed for an electoral victory?
Never. I only pray that I do my very best.”