Rep. David Trone has hit an all-time high for self-funding of a primary race after reports revealed he pumped another $18.5 million of his own money into his campaign for Maryland’s open Senate seat.
Reports filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission showed that Mr. Trone, Maryland Democrat, dropped $18.5 million in the first three months of this year, bringing his total spent on his Senate bid to more than $41.7 million.
“Trone is officially the biggest self funder of a Senate primary in American history,” Jacob Rubashkin, deputy editor on Inside Elections, said on X.
He pointed out that the Democratic Senate candidate has surpassed the self-spending of Blair Hull, a Democrat who ran for a Senate seat in Illinois but lost despite spending $29.6 million in the 2004 primary.
Mr. Trone is a wealthy businessman who founded the Total Wine & More national chain. At the end of 2023, he had already spent more than $23 million of his personal funds on his campaign. He has held his House seat since 2018.
He is squaring off in the primary against Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, who has raised $2.1 million in the first quarter. Republican Larry Hogan, former Maryland governor, revealed last week that he has raked in more than $3.1 million since launching his candidacy in February.
The race is to replace Sen. Ben Cardin, Maryland Democrat, who is retiring at the end of his third term.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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