This article was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
In the final days before the May 14 primaries, U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-6th) is looking to his congressional colleagues, major state political figures and other supporters to help him garner votes and snag the Democratic nomination for Maryland’s competitive U.S. Senate seat.
Trone’s push this week started at the movies, with a rally and discussion at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring Tuesday evening. It included a news conference of Latino supporters, and an event at a union hall in Prince George’s County, home turf of his principal Democratic primary opponent, the county executive, Angela Alsobrooks.
Surrogates for both candidates have played a big role in this campaign.
Alsobrooks has lined up support from a lion’s share of the state’s Democratic establishment, while Trone, a wealthy businessman who has been one of the most generous donors to national Democrats over the past several years, has support from leading members of Congress and some noteworthy Maryland Democratic dissidents.
But Trone seems to be leaning ever more heavily on prominent supporters to make the case for him. If nothing else, it may take some of the heat off the candidate at a time when Alsobrooks supporters are accusing him of going negative. Four former state Democratic chairs who are supporting Alsobrooks suggested at a news conference Wednesday that Trone’s attacks on Alsobrooks will make it tougher for the Democrats to unify after the primary and defeat popular former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in the general election.
“I know the most important day of this election cycle is not next Tuesday,” said Yvette Lewis, one of the former party leaders. “It’s next Wednesday, when we’re going to have to come together to defeat Larry Hogan. Next Wednesday, that is the day of reckoning for this party.”
Starring Adam Schiff
At the Silver Spring event Tuesday night, “Defend Democracy with U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. David Trone” scrolled across the electric marquee at the entrance of the Art Deco theatre. Campaign signs for the congressman’s Senate run were placed inside and outside the venue.
According to Trone’s communications team, there were “over 100 people” in attendance in the 200-seat theater. Ahead of the discussion, Trone’s many television ads played on the big screen as supporters took their seats.
As the smell of popcorn ambiently drifted through the air, the ads relayed endorsements from a variety of perspectives, including from the teachers’ union and several other labor groups.
Some of the ads also promoted Trone’s largely self-funded approach to his campaign. Trone’s ads argue that he is less likely to be “bought” by big-moneyed special interests like the pharmaceutical industry. He has made a $57 million investment into the campaign.
His headline guest-speaker Tuesday was his colleague in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), one of several bold-faced name congressional Democrats who are backing Trone. Schiff, the Democratic nominee for Senate in the Golden State, pitched his colleague as the most-qualified candidate and the Democrats’ best hope to help the party keep control of the U.S. Senate.
The dynamics of the Senate race in Maryland shifted when former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) threw his hat in the ring back in February. Since then, Democratic messaging turned to selling who is the best candidate to beat Hogan in the general election.
Alsobrooks’ candidacy poses a potentially historic opportunity for her to become the first Black woman to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate.
Meanwhile, the ever-looming threat of another Donald Trump presidency hangs over the Democrats in the general election. Schiff led the first impeachment trial of the former president.
“Which leads me to David,” he said Tuesday.
“I know him to be a person of courage and to be a person of conviction and know him as someone who will do the right thing whether it’s easy or hard,” Schiff continued. “I know him to be one of the few people who has earned the respect of people on both sides of the aisle, on his business acumen or his understanding of the economy.
“And this is really what we need in the Senate. We need people like David who will defend our democracy, who will stand up to anyone in defense of our institutions and our values,” Schiff continued. “And we damn well need to win this Senate seat.”
Trone also urged his supporters to reach out to their friends and families to get them to vote.
“We need them to reach out to their friends or neighbors or co-workers and help drive people to the polls,” Trone told reporters following the Tuesday night rally. “The more democracy we have, the better country we’re going to have.”
But Trone has also worked to appeal to everyday Marylanders and, through surrogates, pitched his case to the state’s labor unions and the Latino community this week.
‘We have the receipts,’ Latinos supporting Trone say of Alsobrooks
For many Latino political leaders supporting Trone, the fight is personal, especially for those who live in Prince George’s County. They’ve worked directly with Alsobrooks, and at a news conference Wednesday in Silver Spring, they outlined oft-repeated complaints about the county executive — that her administration has lacked diversity, and that she has ignored the needs of the Latino community, particularly during the COVID crisis.
“We have been left behind,” said Del. Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel), chair of the House Health and Government Operations Committee in Annapolis. “We have the receipts.”
Former state Sen. Victor Ramirez, who is now president of the Latino Democrats of Prince George’s County, recalled moving to the county as a boy and said “you could count all the Latinos on one hand in a whole neighborhood.”
Now, Ramirez said, Latinos make up about a quarter of the county’s population and about 40% of the county’s public school students — which makes it surprising, he said, that Alsobrooks declined to fill out the Democratic club’s questionnaire for the Senate candidates.
“The question is, when are you going to value who we are?” Ramirez said.
But the half dozen politicians who spoke were also quick to extol Trone’s attributes, describing him as an inclusive leader who seeks a variety of perspectives on any issue. Peña-Melnyk said that even though Trone is a self-made multimillionaire, he has a refreshing, compassionate approach to his job.
“He was not always rich,” she said. “He’s been poor. He’s legislating from life’s experience, as so many of us do.”
‘He’s a friend of labor and he always has been’
Several elected and union officials gathered at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 26 headquarters in Lanham Thursday to stress Trone’s accomplishments, including serving on the Black Maternal Health Caucus in Congress, helping to establish an abortion clinic in Western Maryland and supporting union labor.
Most important, they said: Trone is the Democratic candidate best equipped to beat Hogan in November.
“He is a friend of labor and he always has been. His combination of business experience and working with labor is what we need in the Senate,” said Tom Clark, political director and business representative at IBEW Local 26. “He’s always fought for working people and for fair wages, but that’s not what it’s all about for David.”
Before Trone became a member of Congress, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy (D) said, he provided more than 1,400 jobs for returning citizens through his company, Total Wine & More.
During his six years in Congress, she said, Trone has been one of the most effective legislators on Capitol Hill. According to the Common Ground Committee, a nonpartisan organization that assesses a lawmakers effectiveness to work with colleagues, Trone is a “champion,” defined as a lawmaker with a score of at least 70 points. Trone is one of six representatives in the House to score at least 100 points. The highest point total is 110.
“This is not about him wanting to run for office, this is who he is,” Braveboy said. “He’s been effective in business and he’s been effective in Congress. We need someone in the U.S. Senate who will be effective, and most importantly, who can keep our democracy intact. That person is David Trone.”
Besides his accomplishments, there was a message for those who criticize Trone for spending his own fortune on the campaign.
Del. Tiffany T. Alston (D-Prince George’s) called the actions by those who challenge it “disgusting.”
“The fact that he wants to self-fund his campaign is his business. It’s his money. He worked hard for it,” she said. “If he believes that democracy is that important, [and] that he’s willing to put his own money behind it, then I’m going to stand with him each and every time and support him.”
Disclosure: The David and June Trone Family Foundation was a financial supporter of Maryland Matters in 2017 and 2018.
