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Trone announces Senate run in Maryland

Rep. David Trone brings stalwart pro-Israel record to primary race to replace Sen. Ben Cardin

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Rep. David Trone (D-MD)

Rep. David Trone (D-MD) announced Thursday that he’s running for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), bringing a pro-Israel record and the ability to self-fund millions from his own fortune to the primary race. 

“Marylanders need real solutions now, because we face major challenges — and the clock is ticking,” Trone said in a statement announcing his candidacy. “Opioids and substance use disorders are crushing families and communities. A mental health crisis, especially among our children, has left too many who need help struggling to find it. And it’s getting harder and harder to pay the bills on an honest day’s work. Our criminal justice system is broken. Big pharmaceutical companies are jacking up prices. Access to abortion is under attack. And MAGA extremists threaten to tear down our democracy.”

“That’s why I’m running for the Senate: to work with Marylanders, to take on these challenges, and to take the bold steps necessary to make real change,” Trone continued. “Because this is not about me – it’s about the issues that are facing our state.”

Trone, who lives in Potomac, Md., represents a gerrymandered district that spans from heavily-Democratic suburban Montgomery County to conservative and rural western Maryland. Trone won reelection by 10 points over Republican state Del. Neal Parrott in 2022.

Trone, the owner of a popular D.C.-area wine store chain, is the only sitting member of Congress who is an AIPAC “minyan” donor — the highest membership level in the pro-Israel group. He has been an outspoken critic of the anti-Israel BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) in Congress — and in his job as a wine store owner.

Trone is expected to face a crowded Democratic primary field to succeed Cardin, one of the leading Democratic advocates for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship in Congress. Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks is considered a likely candidate, while Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando already announced his campaign. 

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), a progressive Jewish lawmaker who is in remission from a serious form of lymphoma, is the most high-profile Democrat mentioned as a possible candidate for the Senate seat.

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