Frick fires the first shot in CD-6 Democratic primary

By Ryan Miner 

It didn’t take long for the first shot to be fired at David Trone by a Democratic opponent in the race to succeed John Delaney in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District.

Trone – a wealthy business executive from Potomac who, in 2016, spent nearly $13 million on a failed congressional bid in the 8th Congressional District – announced this morning in a tweet with an attached YouTube video that he is running for Congress in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District.

.@JohnKDelaney is a good friend and a great representative. With your help, I’ll pick up right where he leaves off.https://t.co/bV9UPaGat6

— David Trone (@davidjtrone) August 2, 2017

Trone describes Delaney as a “good friend and a great representative” and vows to “fight President Trump in Congress.”

Trone states that he is running for Congress “to makes things better” and will “work across the aisle to increase funding at NIH.” Trone likens his childhood of “growing up on a struggling farm” to Western Maryland, vowing to “protect that way of life and help champion programs to bring jobs to every part of the district.”

Trone reiterated his previous campaign slogan of not taking campaign contributions from corporations, lobbyists or PACS, stating that he doesn’t want to be “their congressman,” but rather, yours.

Trone finishes his nearly minute and a half announcement video asking viewers if they will join him.

Later in the day, Maryland House Majority Leader Bill Frick (D-Bethesda), another prominent Democratic candidate running for Congress in the 6th District, hit Trone in an email blast to supporters, writing, “This race should be based on an exchange of ideas and a vision for the future, not on how much money one candidate can spend out of his or her own bank account.” Frick linked his email blast to an ActBlue online contribution site.

Frick confirmed to A Miner Detail that his email blast “15 million reasons” refers to the June meeting that A Miner Detail reported on in which Trone met with Montgomery County Councilman Sidney Katz at Rockville’s First Watch, where Trone was reportedly overheard promising to spend $15 million on another congressional race.

I reached out to Alex Koren, David Trone’s campaign aide, for comment.

Trone may not be the only wealthy candidate entering the race.

Republican Amie Hoeber – the 2016 Republican nominee for the 6th District who lost to Delaney in the November general election by nearly 16 points – is considering a second bid. Hoeber and her husband, Mark Epstein, spent millions of their own money funding Hoeber’s campaign.

Frick raised just over $213,000 in the second quarter of this year.