The campaign to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin has been heating up in Maryland, with the two leading Democrats running for the seat both constantly sending out statements touting new endorsements.
So why is the candidate boasting the most primary endorsements 鈥� including all of the current Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives 鈥� also saying he鈥檚 not the “establishment” candidate?
Congressman David Trone, who represents Western Maryland and the northern portion of Montgomery County, has spent the fall and early winter racking up endorsements from various labor unions around Maryland, including the Maryland State Education Association, as well as other labor unions, including some based in Prince George鈥檚 County.
This week, Trone added House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, considered a contender for future Speaker of the House, to .
In contrast, Prince George鈥檚 County Executive Angela Alsobrooks has from around the state of Maryland, including former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Gov. Wes Moore and Maryland’s soon-to-be senior Sen. Chris Van Hollen.
鈥淲e’ve never been the establishment candidate. We’re fighting the system. It’s rigged,鈥� Trone said in an interview with 海角社区app. 鈥淚t’s rigged by the PACs. It’s rigged by the lobbyists that keep electing the same people over and over and over.鈥�
Despite a lack of support from most Democrats in Maryland, Trone鈥檚 multimillion dollar fortune, courtesy of , has allowed him to spurn fundraising and flood airwaves and the internet with advertisements. It also makes it easy for his opponents to say he鈥檚 trying to 鈥渂uy鈥� his seat in the U.S. Senate.
But, Trone explains, it makes him more effective to not be dependent on donations from big corporations and lobbyists.
鈥淣ow, if they don’t want something for that, I’m a little bit surprised. I think they do expect something for that,鈥� Trone said of the donations. 鈥淢ost members have spent a lot of time making phone calls to get that money. And then they鈥檝e got to execute to keep that money coming. My opponent is on that treadmill. I’m not on that treadmill.”
Trone argues that he, unlike his opponents, focused on 鈥渁ll important things that the voters really care about.”
鈥淚’m on a treadmill of policy, policy, policy; addiction, mental health, criminal justice, education, the environment,鈥� he added, touting some of the priorities that were mentioned in his stump speech.
And on those issues, Trone argues, he鈥檚 the most progressive candidate running.
鈥淲e’re going to have the whole progressive runway to ourselves,鈥� Trone said of Montgomery County Councilman Will Jawando’s decision to discontinue his campaign. 鈥淎ngela is clearly to the right 鈥� she’s not very progressive whatsoever.鈥�
However, recent scoring from good government groups like over the last couple of years has concluded that 鈥� a selling point, at least in his mind, to voters who tend not to obsess over party politics.
鈥淚 worked with senators all the time,鈥� Trone said. 鈥淚t’s an ongoing issue working to get the 60 votes because everything is 60. So if you don’t get 10 Republicans on board, you get absolutely nothing.”
鈥淪o last year, we got 26 bills passed 鈥� 26 on mental health and addiction alone. So that’s real progress,鈥� he argued.
It鈥檚 also how Trone tries to differentiate himself from other members of the House, regardless of party.
鈥淰oters are just sick and tired of Washington getting nothing accomplished. It’s just all folks in Washington seem to want to be on CNN, they want to be on MSNBC or FOX. And that’s how they judge success,鈥� Trone told 海角社区app. 鈥淪uccess ought to be about what you get over the finish line to make lives better for Americans. And (if) we could do that and actually pull together for common goals, we’d be much better off as a country.鈥�
With , Trone has a long time to make that pitch to Democrats around the state, whether they鈥檙e laser-focused on politics or too busy with other things happening in life.
