Maryland’s 6th District: Democrat David Trone defeats GOP contender Amie Hoeber

In this June 14, 2018 photo, David Trone, the co-owner of wine megastore chain Total Wine & More, stands in front of the Shady Grove Metro stop in Derwood, Md., where he greeted voters on the first day of early voting in Maryland. Trone is seeking the Democratic nomination for Maryland’s 6th District Congressional seat. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)

AP Photo/Brian Witte

Maryland’s 6th Congressional District candidate Amie Hoeber greets voters in front of a voting location Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in Potomac, Md. David Trone, a Democrat and co-owner of a national wine store chain, is running against Hoeber, a Republican and national security consultant. (Bill O’Leary/The The Washington Post via AP)

Bill O’Leary/The The Washington Post via AP

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WASHINGTON — Democrat David Trone handily bested his Republican competitor in the race for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, according to an Associated Press projection, keeping the seat securely in Democratic hands

The AP called the race shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday. Trone, the multimillionaire co-founder of Total Wine & More, led Amie Hoeber, a defense consultant, 57.6 percent to 39.3 percent.

In a speech to supporters Tuesday night gathered in Montgomery County, Trone claimed victory.

“From the bottom of my heart I want to thank the voters of the 6th District for allowing me the privilege of being your next representative in Congress,” Trone said in a tweet. “Tomorrow we begin the hard work of restoring civility, competence, and compassion to Washington.”

The congressional seat is currently held by a Democrat — Rep. John Delaney — who is stepping down to prepare for a 2020 presidential run. Maryland’s 6th District stretches from populous Montgomery County to the state’s border with West Virginia and includes Garrett, Allegany and Washington counties.

Nationwide, Democrats flipped a number of House districts and were on track to pick up enough Republican seats to wrest control of the House from the GOP.

See election results:

It was a high-stakes race for the wealthy Potomac businessman, co-founder of an alcohol retailer. Not only did Trone put more than $11 million into the effort but he underwent cancer surgery and chemotherapy during this year’s campaign season.

This is Trone’s second run for a congressional seat. In 2016, Trone ran for Congress in Maryland’s 8th Congressional District but was defeated in the Democratic primary.

Meanwhile, in Maryland’s 1st District, the state’s lone congressional Republican Rep. Andy Harris, 61, was handily fending off a challenge from Democratic candidate Jesse Colvin, a 34-year-old U.S. Army veteran and former business consultant. With all precincts reporting results, Harris was led Colvin 60.5 percent to 37.6 percent.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report).