Trone, Hoeber will meet at the general election in 6th District

Frederick News-Post (MD)

June 27--A big spender came away with the Democratic Party nomination in Maryland's 6th Congressional District on Tuesday night.

Montgomery County wine magnate David Trone won the party's nomination in a crowded race that ultimately came down to two top contenders. Montgomery County Delegate Aruna Miller -- who had been backed by several national organizations including Emily's List, an advocacy group that supports female candidates who support abortion rights -- garnered 30.6 percent of the vote to Trone's 40.4 percent.

Trone, a major national supporter of the American Civil Liberties Union, attracted his own raft of endorsements, along with some criticism for his multimillion-dollar investment in his own campaign. Trone donated more than $11 million of his own money to his campaign this election cycle -- and in a losing bid in 2016, poured more than $13 million into a race to represent District 8.

Trone lives in the 8th District -- along with Republican nominee Amie Hoeber -- but spent his election day traveling from the far reaches of the 6th to his celebration party at the Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center.

Hand raised high in victory, David Trone stood before a crowd of supporters at a watch party streamed on Facebook Live.

"I'm humbled by your support," Trone said, thanking voters before diving into a litany of campaign talking points on education, economic prosperity and "values."

He stopped in Frederick County in the afternoon to meet with voters and was optimistic, but not complacent, about the general election.

"We have to work a hard fall campaign. We can't let this seat become Republican. We have to stop the Trump agenda. The way to do that is to take back the House of Representatives," Trone said. "This seat is absolutely one the Republicans will target, so we need a strong candidate, but mostly we need voters who are all going to get out."

Trone's victory in the Democratic-leaning district means that Maryland's congressional delegation is unlikely to include a woman for at least the next two years.

Miller, whose family immigrated to the U.S. from India, had talked about the benefit of candidate diversity during a stop at a Germantown polling place on Tuesday morning.

"I think it's extraordinary. I love it to see so many people engaged, to see so many people running for office with so many different backgrounds," Miller said. "That's exactly what our elected officials should be, right? Representative of their community. They shouldn't all look the same way with the same professional background. It should be a whole wealth of diversity. That's what makes our nation so great."

While optimistic at the time, Miller said it would also be important for the party to unify, no matter the outcome.

"It's very important because at the end of the day, divided we fall, united we move forward. It's gotta be that. We're all on the same side," Miller said. "As Democrats, we're all in this together and it's important that we come together. Because that's the only way we're going to make progress."

Meanwhile, Amie Hoeber celebrated her nomination by the Republican Party at Sen. Michael Hough's celebration in Frederick.

The party's nominee in 2016, she easily secured victory in the primary, garnering 68 percent of the party vote on Tuesday. She hopes to buck the trend and win the seat back for Republicans during the general election.

But Democrats have added about 7,500 registrations to the 6th District since 2016, when Hoeber was the party's nominee. Those additional voters have raised the party's share of registrations to just a hair under 47 percent, compared to 32.8 percent Republican.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, which is supporting Hoeber's run, issued a statement congratulating her Tuesday night.

"Congratulations to Amie Hoeber on her victory this evening. As a tireless advocate for women, Amie's experience in business and national security uniquely qualify her to represent the 6th District in Congress," NRCC spokesman Chris Martin wrote.

Hoeber served as deputy undersecretary of the Army during former President Ronald Reagan's administration. She oversaw the Army's research and development programs and managed environmental cleanup of decommissioned bases.

She's pointed to her defense expertise as a background to help steer defense work to the district.

In the 8th District, incumbent Rep. Jamie Raskin (D) easily secured the party victory.

In the Republican primary, John Walsh secured the party's nomination with 45.2 percent of the vote.

A Democratic victory in the district, where Democratic voter registration is almost double Republican registration, is nearly guaranteed

All election results are unofficial until absentee ballots are counted. As of Monday, 6,038 absentee ballots had been sent to 6th District voters, and 2,748 of them had been returned, according to the state Board of Elections website.

In the 8th District, 10,876 absentee ballots were sent out, with 4,648 sent back.

Members of Congress serve two-year terms and are paid $174,000 a year.

The Associated Press and News-Post staff writers Allen Etzler and Nancy Lavin contributed to this report.

Follow Danielle E. Gaines on Twitter: @danielleegaines.

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