Wine magnate turned Democratic congressman joins Maryland Senate race

Rep. David Trone, the Total Wine & More co-founder who has self-funded more than any House candidate in American history, announced Thursday that he was joining next year’s Democratic primary to succeed Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin. While Trone griped during his competitive 2022 battle that members of his party “have absolutely gone too far to the left,” he launched his statewide bid by describing himself as a pragmatic liberal. “All of us Democrats will be running as super progressive,” he told The Washington Post. “The difference is going to be who can get stuff done, and who can keep this seat Democrat?”

Trone, who emphasized the opioid crisis in his launch video, joins a nomination contest in a dark blue state that already includes Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando and will almost certainly grow before long: Time Magazine’s Eric Cortellessa reported Thursday that insiders expect Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks to announce “in the coming days.” Both Jawando and Alsobrooks would be the Old Line State’s first Black senator, while Alsobrooks would additionally be the second woman to hold this position after the trailblazing Barbara Mikulski.