Maryland, My Maryland

David DTrone

From the Free Bacon, news that David DTrone Has Poured a Record-Breaking $42 Million Into His Senate Campaign

Rep. David Trone (D., Md.) made history Tuesday, becoming the largest self-funder in Senate primary history.

Trone, the co-owner of the multibillion-dollar liquor chain Total Wine & More, has loaned $41.7 million to his campaign for Maryland’s open Senate seat since launching his run in March 2023, Federal Election Commission filings show. The Maryland Democrat’s personal investment into his campaign far exceeds all prior Senate primary candidates, including the previous record holder, Illinois Democrat Blair Hull, who spent $29.6 million on his failed 2004 Senate primary bid.

Though Trone can depend on the seemingly unending funds from his Total Wine wealth to fuel his Senate campaign, his failure to attract contributors from traditional sources exposes underlying cracks in his ability to engage with the Democratic base. He has raised just $640,000 from contributors other than himself, a figure that includes a paltry $105,000 from grassroots, small-dollar donors.

Meanwhile, Trone’s top primary challenger, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, has raked in $6.2 million from outside contributors. A Baltimore Sun poll Tuesday shows Trone leading the field with 48 percent support among Democratic primary voters, while Alsobrooks trails behind with 29 percent support. Maryland’s primary election will be held May 14.

The same poll shows former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, the expected Republican nominee for the state’s open Senate seat, beating both Trone and Alsobrooks in the general election. Maryland last elected a Republican senator in 1980.

His TV ads are becoming omnipresent in recent days. It's a good thing he's paying his own bills, for the most part, because the ads aren't very convincing, at least to me. But then, I'm not really his target constituency.