WASHINGTON — David Trone, a Maryland multimillionaire and co-owner of Total Wine & More has made it official: he’s running as a Democrat for Congress in Maryland’s 6th District, the seat being vacated by current House member John Delaney, who announced that he’s seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
“I’ll fight President Trump and Congress’ attempts to gut health care,” Trone said in an ad on his website. He also references his Bethesda-based business, touting the jobs created and referring to employees as “team members.”
Maryland’s 6th District includes western Maryland and a large section of Montgomery County.
Trone’s declaration is shuffling the political deck of cards in Maryland politics. With Trone focused on winning the seat, those considering a run for Montgomery County Executive find their way cleared.
Del. Eric Luedtke, a Democrat representing Maryland’s 14th District — which includes Montgomery County, weighed in on the fallout in a tweet. He said, “That whooshing sound you hear is a simultaneous sigh of relief from all 10,000 candidates for MOCO Exec and Council At Large.”
That whooshing sound you hear is a simultaneous sigh of relief from all 10,000 candidates for MoCo Exec and Council At Large. https://t.co/hfKQMNmZae
— Delegate Eric Luedtke (@EricLuedtke) August 2, 2017
The pressure may be on for others thinking about running for the 6th District seat considering Trone’s funding ability. He put more than $12 million of his own money into his race for Rep. Chris Van Hollen’s 8th District seat, making it the most expensive self-funded House campaign at the time, but lost in the primary to Jamie Raskin.
In the 6th District race, some Democrats are making moves: Maryland Del. Aruna Miller, District 15, has been fundraising and Maryland House Majority Leader Bill Frick, District 16, has also opened a federal account to raise money for a campaign. Sen. Roger Manno, District 19, also announced his running Wednesday.
Among members of the GOP, former Del. Matthew Mossburg, District 39, has declared, and Amie Hoeber, who ran against Delaney in 2016, is said to be weighing her options.
Maryland’s 6th District is often referred to as among the nation’s most gerrymandered. It stretches from the D.C. suburbs to western Maryland. Below is a map of the district:
