David Trone helped fund campaigns of over 50 officials who have endorsed him

BALTIMORE — David Trone has helped fund the campaigns of more than 50 elected officials who have since endorsed him in his Democratic U.S. Senate primary contest against Angela Alsobrooks, according to federal and state campaign records.

Among those receiving contributions from the wealthy congressman in recent years are 31 current or former U.S. House members and dozens of state officials such as Attorney General Anthony Brown and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy.

Trone, a third-term congressman, and Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive, are the leading contenders for the Democratic nomination for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin. Former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan is the likely Republican nominee.

Early voting begins May 2, and the primary is May 14. Trone leads Alsobrooks 48% to 29%, according to an April 7-10 poll sponsored by The Baltimore Sun, FOX45 and the University of Baltimore Schaefer Center for Public Policy. Trone’s lead dropped to 50% to 38% when the 600 Democratic primary respondents were asked to choose only between those two.

With little separating Trone and Alsobrooks on key issues such as abortion and gun violence, the rival Democrats have scrambled to capture endorsements.

Brown, a former lieutenant governor and congressman, has become one of Trone’s highest-profile backers after appearing earlier this month in a campaign ad in which he says “I will go to battle with him anywhere and anytime.”

Trone, who represents Frederick County and Western Maryland, hosted a fundraiser for Brown’s unsuccessful 2014 gubernatorial campaign and — in the ensuing years — Trone, his wife June, and other family members donated tens of thousands of dollars to Brown’s campaigns for Congress and attorney general, the records show.

In mid-2022, according to campaign records, June Trone gave $250,000 and David Trone gave $100,000 to the Political Action Committee of VoteVets, which supports progressive veterans and their families. The PAC sponsored an ad critical of Katie Curran O’Malley, who was Brown’s 2022 Democratic primary opponent for attorney general. Brown, who is an Army veteran, won the primary and general elections.

Brown could not be reached for an interview. Inquiries to his office were referred by a public information officer to the attorney general’s campaign, which did not return messages.

Trone was also unavailable, but his campaign said in a statement that he and Brown “have been close personal friends for more than a decade. Their friendship was built on their shared work fighting to elect Democratic candidates, and deepened during their time serving together in the House.”

Trone, the statement continued, “has always been proud to support the Attorney General and his decades long track record of servant leadership for the people of Maryland and our nation.”

Campaign contributions can buy influence, said Todd Eberly, as associate political science professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

But Eberly cautioned that “an endorsement isn’t necessarily tied to the fact that somebody wrote you a check. And most voters aren’t paying attention to whether Candidate A wrote a check to Candidate B. Most voters understand there is a lot of money in politics.”

Trone is the co-founder of the national alcohol retailer Total Wine & More. He outspent Alsobrooks by a 10-1 ratio over the last year, drawing on his personal wealth and spending $41.6 million through March 31, his FEC report said.

It is not uncommon for congressional incumbents of either party to donate to like-minded candidates. Lawmakers representing non-competitive districts often accumulate more cash than they need and can afford to dole out the excess to colleagues.

Trone’s contributions to fellow Democrats and the national party are unusual because they derive from his personal wealth and because of the extent of the donations.

He has contributed more than $1 million to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee — including $300,000 last year — since the beginning of 2020, according to FEC records. The DCCC helps elect its party’s candidates.

During 2021 and 2022, records show Trone contributed another $555,000 — including a $500,000 donation in December 2021 — to the House Majority PAC, a super PAC trying to get Democrats elected to the U.S. House.

Trone’s endorsers include House Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, among dozens of other federal, state and local lawmakers, and the Maryland State Education Association.

Trone’s campaign said in a statement Thursday that he “has been a major Democratic donor and fundraiser for decades and he’s proud to have donated more than $20 million to support dozens of incredible candidates and elected officials throughout the years.”

Candidates who Trone supported “have fought to codify Roe v Wade into law, endow a new generation of voting rights and workers’ rights, and to create a new generation of incredible jobs for Maryland and beyond,” the statement said.

Trone has made a point of promoting endorsements from officials such as Brown who are from, or have ties to, Prince George’s County to try to show weaknesses in Alsobrooks’ base. She does have a number of endorsers in her home county. They include Rushern Baker, the former county executive, and U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey, who appear in a new ad blitz on her behalf alongside Gov. Wes Moore.

Brown and Braveboy were featured at the top of a recent Trone mailer with the headline: “Prince George’s County Democratic leaders agree David Trone is the best choice for U.S. Senate.”

Trone gave two $2,000 contributions — one in August and one in September — to Braveboy, according to state records.

Braveboy, who declined an interview request, said in a prepared statement that she endorsed Trone because he has “demonstrated his effectiveness and dedication in Congress” and was committed “to critical issues such as public safety, second chances, and mental health.”

Alsobrooks has been endorsed by Moore, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and many others. Baltimore-area Democrats who have endorsed her include Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski Jr., and U.S. Reps. Kweisi Mfume and John Sarbanes.

Trone’s campaign webpage displays the images of 67 current and former U.S. House members who have endorsed him.

Thirty-one of those 67 have received campaign contributions from Trone, totaling about $300,000, according to FEC records.

Most of the donations are in the $2,000 to $3,000 range. For example, Democratic Texas Rep. Colin Allred, who is running for the U.S. Senate, got four contributions totaling $9,300 between 2018 and 2021. Democratic Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s campaign received $2,900 in 2022 and $3,300 in 2023.

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