Total Wine founder David Trone loses expensive bid to return in Maryland primary

Former Rep. David Trone’s Congressional Comeback Falls Short

David Trone, a former Democratic representative from Maryland, has seen his hopes of returning to Congress dashed after spending a significant amount of his personal wealth on a campaign aimed at unseating a fellow Democrat. On Tuesday, April McClain Delaney triumphed over Trone in a contentious primary contest for a reshaped House seat in western Maryland.

This intra-party race turned out to be one of the pricier contests of the 2026 primaries, with over $32 million reportedly spent by both candidates, each of whom had substantial financial resources to back their respective campaigns.

It’s still uncertain if this expenditure will surpass the previous high set during the Kentucky primary that led to the defeat of Rep. Thomas Massey, who has been recognized as having participated in one of the most expensive House primaries in the nation.

Trone, who is the billionaire founder of Total Wine & More, invested more than $25 million into his campaign. Meanwhile, Delaney, a first-term lawmaker who also served in the Biden administration, dedicated around $7 million of her own funds to counter Trone’s challenge as she sought a second term in the House.

Interestingly, the two candidates had minimal policy differences between them, yet Trone launched harsh critiques against Delaney for her earlier vote in favor of the Republican Laken-Reilly Act, which mandates the detention of certain undocumented immigrants. Delaney later expressed regret over her support for that law.

In turn, Delaney took aim at Trone, who claimed an endorsement from Hillary Clinton in his ads promoting abortion rights, despite there being no formal backing from her.

It’s worth noting that Trone, who previously served three terms in office, had invested over $60 million of his wealth in a Senate race in 2024, which he ultimately lost. Interestingly, Delaney received support from some notable figures, including outgoing Maryland Senator Angela Alsobrooks, who backed her candidacy.

The Democratic establishment in Maryland mobilized to support Delaney’s campaign, uniting against Trone’s uprising. Governor Wes Moore, Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, as well as Rep. Jamie Raskin and former House Minority Leader Steny Hoyer all endorsed Delaney. In contrast, Trone attracted backing from the state’s largest teachers’ union.

Significantly, neither candidate resides within the district’s boundaries, which stretches from the rural, Republican-leaning areas in the northwest to the Democratic strongholds of Montgomery and Frederick counties. Both Democrats actually live in Potomac, an affluent suburb near Washington, D.C.

In the 2024 elections, President Trump came close to winning this predominantly Democratic district, losing by only six points, though national Republicans did not view this seat as a target for top-of-the-ticket opportunities.