David John Trone is an American politician born on September 21, 1955. He is a Democrat who represents Maryland’s 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.

The district encompasses the majority of the western third of the state, but the majority of its residents live in the outer northern suburbs of Washington, D.C. He and his brother co-founded and co-own Total Wine & More, and he served as the company’s president until December 2016.

Also read: Smithsburg, Maryland: Multiple shot in Columbia Machine, 3 dead

Trone spent more than $13 million of his own money on his failed Democratic primary bid to replace Chris Van Hollen in Maryland’s 8th congressional district in 2016, setting a record for the most costly self-funded House campaign. Trone was the Democratic nominee for the 6th Congressional District in 2018.

On June 9, 2022, Thursday, a shooting incident took place in Columbia Machine factory in Smithsburg, Maryland, where there were multiple victims, with at least three confirmed dead. Trone as district representative tweeted, “We are actively monitoring the mass shooting in #Smithsburg right now, and our office is in contact with officials on the ground.”

Trone was born in Maryland and brought up on his father’s chicken and hog farm on a 200-acre property in East Berlin, Pennsylvania. Thomas was also the owner of a soda and beer store. Trone’s parents divorced, and his father kept the farm while his mother took over the store. Thomas and his farm went bankrupt, but Trone continued to work at his mother’s business.

Trone received a magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Furman University in 1977 and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1985.

Also read: What is Columbia Machine Works, factory in Smithsburg, Maryland where multiple were shot

Trone has been involved in Democratic politics and has sponsored party fundraisers. In 2014, he sponsored a fundraiser for gubernatorial candidate Anthony G. Brown, which former President Bill Clinton attended, and in November 2015, he conducted a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, which President Obama attended. Trone had also donated to Republican lawmakers; according to an OpenSecrets database, he gave more than $150,000 to Republicans in different states between 2000 and 2015.

Trone gave more than $90,000 to Democratic state officials within the same time period, according to the Washington Post, and stated the payments to Republicans were to support “legislation or regulatory changes favorable to his company.” Trone described the payments as “represented the cost of doing business, especially in states with Republican-controlled state houses and governor’s mansions.”

Trone launched her Democratic primary candidacy to unseat Chris Van Hollen in Maryland’s 8th congressional district in January 2016. He campaigned on issues such as lowering unemployment and gun violence, criminal justice reform, environmental conservation, education, and foreign policy. Trone promised to fund early childhood education, collaborate with the National Institutes of Health to lower health-care costs, enhance infrastructure, and cancel more student loans for federal employees.

Also read: Columbia Works factory, Smithsburg, Maryland shooting: What we know so far

Trone’s losing campaign cost more than $13 million, making it the most costly self-funded House campaign in history. The first-time candidate stated that a significant personal effort was required to stand out in a crowded field that includes well-known candidates such as television anchor and Marriott International executive Kathleen Matthews and election victor State Senator Jamie Raskin.

Trone told NPR after the election, “We knew it would be very expensive. We’re not surprised by what it cost at all. We anticipated that, and it was a thoughtful choice my wife and I made… It was the right decision to take no money from anybody.”

Trone launched his campaign for the Democratic nomination for Maryland’s 6th congressional district on August 2, 2017, filling the seat vacated by John Delaney, who elected not to run for reelection and instead retired from Congress to focus on his 2020 presidential campaign. Trone had favored Delaney for president just a few days before. Trone told Washington Jewish Week in early 2018 that the most important lessons he learned from his previous run were not entering the race early enough and not raising enough money.

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Trone campaigned in Maryland in late 2017 and announced his candidacy in January 2018. His submission came with a press release in which he expressed his support for education, environmental protection, health care, Social Security, and women’s rights. Trone has made combatting the opioid epidemic a prominent theme of his campaign, creating an action plan and conducting a series of town hall meetings to deal with the situation.

In support of the March for Our Lives rally, Trone, gubernatorial candidate Rushern Baker, and John Delaney organised free bus excursions from Maryland to Washington, D.C. in March 2018.

Baker, Joanne C. Benson, Anthony G. Brown, and Doug Duncan all favoured Trone.

Trone received 40% of the vote in the Democratic primary election for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District on June 26, 2018.

Trone challenged Republican Amie Hoeber and other candidates in the general election. The Washington Post gave him their support. Trone won the U.S. House seat with 57.5 percent of the vote on election day, November 6, 2018.

Trone announced his plan to compete for re-election to Congress for a second term on January 23, 2020.

Trone defeated Republican Neil Parrott and other opponents in the main election, securing re-election with 58.8 percent of the vote.

Trone had voted in accordance with Joe Biden’s declared opinion 100 percent of the time as of June 2022.