Trone Muscles His Way to House Primary Win, Will Face Hoeber in November

Democrats in Maryland’s 6th congressional district have chosen businessman David J. Trone to run for the seat being vacated by Rep. John K. Delaney (D-Md.).  He’ll face defense consultant Amie Hoeber, the unsuccessful GOP nominee against Delaney last cycle, in November. Trone, who is making his second bid for a U.S. House seat, won 40.4 percent of the vote in a field that included two members of the state legislature.  David J. Trone  Del. Aruna Miller, a transportation planner, pulled in 30.6 percent of the vote. Physician Nadia Hashimi and Sen. Roger Manno, an attorney and former Capitol Hill staffer, each attracted more than 10 percent of the primary vote.    In remarks to supporters as ballots were being counted, Trone, the co-owner of a large liquor retail chain, said: “At Total Wine, we look at two groups that are most important. The first is our customers. The second is our teammates. In government, those customers are called voters. And they’re being ignored.” Trone’s willingness to self-fund his campaign gave him a massive organizational advantage in the eight-candidate field. As of June 6, when campaign finance statements were last due, Trone had pumped $10 million of his own money into the race, the most of any Democrat in the U.S. this cycle. His spending made the race to succeed Delaney the most expensive House race in the nation. The $13 million that Trone spent in his unsuccessful pursuit of the adjacent District 8 seat in 2016 also set a fundraising record. He finished second, behind the eventual winner, Jamie Raskin. Trone used his massive fundraising advantage again this time to hire a large, seasoned campaign operation and blanket the airwaves. It also engendered significant resentment from his rivals, many of whom accused him of trying to “buy” a seat in Congress. “Our campaign did not have the biggest wallet, but it had the most heart,” Miller said in a statement late Tuesday night. “While we did not prevail, we did make a difference. We stood up to ensure a voice of diversity was part of the electoral process.” Miller did not congratulate Trone in her statement or offer any support, saying instead, “I’m eager to work with the Democratic party to fight back against Donald Trump this November.” Trone’s TV ads focused on his family’s economic struggles, his belief that government policy should do more to aid the struggling middle class, and his company’s treatment of its workforce.  Amie Hoeber  Hoeber won the Republican primary easily, attracting 62 percent of the vote, enough to overtake rivals Kurt Elsasser, Lisa Lloyd, Bradley St. Rohrs.   The 6th District stretches from western Montgomery County into the western panhandle of Maryland.  The district’s lines were redrawn after the 2010 Census to help Democrats take out long-serving Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett (R).  Delaney, a centrist businessman and wealthy self-funder, prevailed over the 10-term incumbent in 2012 and has held the seat ever since. He announced plans to vacate the seat and run for president in 2020, a move that stunned the Maryland political world.  In other congressional campaign news, U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D) easily turned back seven challengers Tuesday in his bid for a third term, winning 81 percent of the vote. He will likely face Republican activist Tony Campbell in November. And in the 1st Congressional District, Afghanistan War veteran Jesse Colvin won the crowded Democratic primary for the right to take on U.S. Rep. Andrew P. Harris, the state’s lone congressional Republican. Although the district is very conservative, some Democratic strategists believe Colvin has an outside chance of winning. [email protected]

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