Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks defeated Rep. David Trone (D-MD), who invested more than $60 million of his personal fortune, during Maryland‘s contentious Democratic primary to succeed retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD).
Trone’s loss came as the Democratic faced an internal dilemma over whether to support Trone, and the financial advantage he came with, or Alsobrooks, who as a black woman is part of the most loyal voting bloc for Democrats.
Nearly two hours after polls closed in Maryland the Associated Press called the race at 9:46 p.m. Eastern Time. Alsobrooks defeated Trone 52.6% to 43.4% with 38% of the votes counted.
Alsobrooks’s victory means she will face off against former Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who easily won the GOP primary.
The primary win would likely have meant Alsobrooks would have won the Senate seat in November but Logan’s popularity may prove hard to overcome.
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Maryland’s deep-blue background was once expected to make the Democratic primary the true contest for the Senate seat, but Hogan’s late entrance into the race jolted the primary.
Alsobrooks long trailed Trone, a wealthy co-founder of Total Wine & More and three-term member of Congress, but appeared to gain steam in the final days before Tuesday’s primary.
Maryland’s Democratic machine largely backed Alsobrooks, who could become the first black senator in the state’s history, while Trone relied on his vast fortune to aid his campaign. The up-and-coming Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) threw in his support for Alsobrooks and only one member of the state’s congressional delegation isn’t backing Alsobrooks.
There have only been two elected black woman senators: Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL). While Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA) was appointed to the upper chamber last year by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Maryland’s congressional delegation currently has no women, which Alsobrooks could rectify if she wins the general election.
But Trone’s war chest was a formidable factor in the primary.
Trone has loaned his campaign more than $60 million in his battle against Alsobrooks. In a race that has become competitive due to Hogan’s entrance, Trone’s wealth is a likely help to Democrats who need to reserve finances to help more vulnerable Senate Democrats.
In a sign of the nastiness of the primary, Trone’s campaign cut a line from an ad claiming the Senate was not a pace for “training wheels,” after more than 650 black woman denounced the ad. Trone also faced blowback after using a racial slur in a House hearing which he apologized for.
“While attempting to use the word ‘bugaboo’ in a hearing, I used a phrase that is offensive,” Trone said in a statement. “That word has a long dark terrible history. It should never be used any time, anywhere, in any conversation. I recognize that as a white man, I have privilege. And as an elected official, I have a responsibility for the words I use — especially in the heat of the moment. Regardless of what I meant to say, I shouldn’t have used that language.”
A Washington Examiner exclusive on Tuesday showed Trone’s family business Total Wine & More pressuring employees to vote for his campaign via email, claiming it was “important that you put democracy in action and vote for your candidate!”
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Democrats face an uphill climb to retain control of the Senate in 2024. Republicans have a key opportunity to take Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) seat and are hoping to flip both Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (D-OH) seat.
But if Hogan were to win Maryland’s open seat it would make it virtually impossible for Democrats to maintain control of the upper chamber.
Both the Democratic and GOP Maryland primaries has seen $56 million in total ad spending, making it the most expensive state election history, according to AdImpact.
