Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) launched a bid for the Senate on May 4 to succeed retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.).
One issue was deaths due to drug overdoses.
“Every hour in America, 10 people die from overdoses. One hundred thousand preventable deaths in 2021, 100,000 more in 2022,” said Trone. “And if we don’t do something about it, another 100,000 this year and the next.”
Another issue was suicide due to mental illness.
“Every hour, another five people take their lives due to mental illness; 50,000 last year,” he said.
A third issue was the criminal justice system.
“And every hour in America, over 100 black men are arrested, five times the rate of white men,” said Trone.
“Is any of this acceptable to you? To anyone?” Trone asked rhetorically. “Not to me.”
Trone talked about growing up on a farm that was seized because his family being unable to pay its debt. He touted founding his wine business, Total Wine & More, which has made him a millionaire. He has given previously incarcerated people a second chance and provided them free college and partner benefits.
Trone, who has been in Congress since 2019, said there is more work to be done.
Trone joined a Democratic field that includes Will Jawando, at-large Montgomery County council member, and socialist Jerome Segal. Other potential candidates include Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.); former U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez; and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), whose late father, Paul Sarbanes, was a 30-year senator.
In the House, Trone serves on the Appropriations Committee, the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and the Joint Economic Committee.
Cardin announced this week that he will not run for a fourth Senate term in 2024.
“It’s time,” Cardin, 79, told The Baltimore Sun. “I always knew this election cycle would be the one I would be thinking about not running again, so it’s not something that hit me by surprise. I enjoy life. There are other things I can do.”
TIME first reported the development on May 1.
Prior to the Senate, Cardin served for 20 years, or 10 terms, in the House of Representatives. Cardin also served in the Maryland House of Delegates for around 20 years, which included being the chamber’s speaker.
The Democrats control the Senate, 51-49. In the 2024 elections, seats in several swing states will be up for grabs. Three Democrats are running in states that former President Donald Trump won in 2020: Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).
