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Rep. David Trone, one of the wealthiest members of Congress, spent more than $60 million of his own money to win the Democratic Senate primary. The Associated Press called an election for his competitor.
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks is expected to win nearly 40% of the vote and defeat Trone in Maryland’s Democratic Senate primary, according to . Decision-making desk headquarters. Allbrooks will now face former Governor Larry Hogan, who easily won the Republican primary, in the November general election.
Mr. Hogan is a leading Republican newcomer, and his candidacy has made Maryland’s race one of the most-watched races heading into November.
Before entering politics, Trone, a three-term House Democrat, made his fortune as a co-founder of Total Wine & More, the nation’s largest private wine retailer. In an impressive pitch to voters, he argued that his vast wealth is an asset to Democrats and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. If Schumer wants to maintain his party’s slim majority in the House, he cannot afford to lose his Senate seat. Trone’s argument was that if the party had to spend money defending Maryland, it would have less money available for other close races.
“We’re going to continue to use whatever it takes to win,” Tron told reporters last week, according to CNN. “That would give them more flexibility to spend money elsewhere, and I’m sure that’s attractive to Mr. Schumer, the leader.”
When Allsbrooks announced her bid for the Senate seat, she touted her work as a domestic violence prosecutor and her experience leading the charge for a candidacy in the state’s second-most populous jurisdiction. . As county executive, she has immersed herself in the nuts and bolts of local government and focused on public safety, which Republicans have tried to pursue after Democrats in recent cycles.
And Mr. Allsbrooks, who was supported by heavyweights in Maryland’s Democratic Party, including Gov. Wes Moore, Sen. Chris Van Hollen and veteran Congressman Steny Hoyer, has long made clear his feelings: Ta. Tron’s economic advantage does not define the campaign in the eyes of voters.
“I think the people of Maryland are really smart,” Allsbrooks told Washington-area CBS affiliate WUSA9 in a March interview. “And they realize they shouldn’t be able to buy a Senate seat.”
The battle between the two Democratic parties became heated toward the end. Tron and Alsobrooks agreed on most policy areas, making the contest a proxy war over the identity and future of the party. Allbrooks was committed to a history-making candidacy, but her appeal was underscored by the reality that the Senate could soon be without a Black woman again. Although Maryland has a 10-member Congressional delegation, there are currently no women representing the state in either chamber.
Mr. Albrooks’ allies also sought to blunt Mr. Tron’s enormous economic advantage by pointing out that: Tron’s company donates to Republicans who support restricting abortion access. Tron, who supports abortion rights, left Total Wine’s parent company in 2015 and received a 100% rating from the abortion rights advocacy group Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice Americas). The company responded by pointing out that it had received the same warning.
Mr. Tron was forced into one of the sharpest attacks of the faction.
According to the Washington PostMr. Tron compiled the agent’s comments on recent advertisements. was suggested Mr. Albrooks will likely need “training wheels” in the Senate, he said.
Democrats currently control the Senate with a narrow 51-49 margin, and with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin retiring at the end of his term, it is virtually certain that a Republican will win his seat. There is.
Republicans see Montana and Ohio as top Democratic Senate targets this year, but are also looking to compete in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
But Mr. Hogan’s candidacy in Maryland, one of the bluest states in the country, offers hope in a region that would otherwise lack strong candidates.