Maryland’s Democratic U.S. Senate candidates converge on Shore. See who won straw poll.
In what one candidate called the “opening salvo” of the campaign for United States Senate, three Maryland Democrats vying to be the party’s pick in next year’s general election gathered at a forum in Cambridge on Friday night.
“The purpose of this forum is for you, the voter, to make an informed decision,” said Judy Wixted, who helped organize the event for Eastern Shore Democrats as part of a multi-day summit, during her opening remarks.
About 250 people from across the state packed into the Elks Lodge on historic Pine Street to hear the trio of candidates discuss their priorities, respond to questions and receive votes as part of an informal straw poll modeled after a similar survey that has taken place in Western Maryland.
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Alsobrooks wins Democratic Senate candidates straw poll, Trone second
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks walked away at the end of the night with the majority of the votes (125). Congressman David Trone finished second with 98, and the latest entrant into the field Juan Dominguez, a business executive, finished with 15 votes.
In an interview the day before the event, Wixted said the majority of those registered were from the Eastern Shore, but the first opportunity to see the candidates speak in succession also brought attendees from the D.C. suburbs of Prince George’s and Montgomery counties and from as far away as Western Maryland’s Washington County.
It feels like there are more Democrats here than in all of Worcester County, Patty Lockett, a Worcester County Democratic Central Committee member, said with a smile after candidates spoke. The Eastern Shore’s nine counties currently have just one Democratic representative of a total of 14 state delegates and senators sent to the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis — Del. Sheree Sample Hughes, 37A.
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Alsobrooks, Dominguez and Trone speak in Cambridge
Of the U.S. Senate candidates, Alsobrooks spoke first. She started by outlining her family’s history, including that of her mother, a career receptionist, and of her father, a newspaper distributor.
A native of Prince George’s, Alsobrooks chronicled her career starting at the county’s state’s attorney office, which eventually led to county executive, the post she has held since 2018.
She noted that the state’s federal congressional delegation is comprised of 10 men, adding “what a wonderful chance to send a woman to Washington, D.C,” a line met with audience applause.
One of those men in the state’s congressional delegation, U.S. Rep. David Trone, followed Alsobrooks on stage Friday night, speaking third of the three candidates. He began by emphasizing his mother’s Eastern Shore roots and his upbringing on a Pennsylvania farm.
Tracing his career from brokering eggs to becoming a businessman in the alcohol industry with a company he called “bigger than Costco,” Trone spoke about his record in Congress, and railed against the influence of Political Action Committees’ spending on the political process.
He also sought to cast himself as somewhat of an outsider and change agent. “The same old politicians keep getting elected, the same old politicians keep endorsing each other and the same old nothing keeps getting done,” said Trone, in a line also met with audience applause.
The comment from Trone comes after four of his congressional colleagues in the state, including Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, have already endorsed Alsobrooks before the primary.
Business executive Juan Dominguez, a combat veteran, started his allotted 20 minutes by pointing out a marked difference between himself and the other two candidates at the lodge.
“We don’t have t-shirts,” he said to the crowd decked out in paraphernalia from the two elected officials. The son of immigrants and a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Dominguez spoke in multiple instances about the need to address country’s wealth inequality.
He pledged to only serve one term, if elected. In an interview while waiting for the results of the straw poll, Dominguez noted Alsobrooks’ “calm, steady demeanor” and Trone’s “passionate” remarks. He called the event the “opening salvo in a heavyweight title,” remarking that the forum was the first time that all three candidates were together.
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2024 primary election about six months away. Another forum scheduled
John Simms, who travelled to the event from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, in Prince George’s County, said in his experience as a local election judge that people often vote “in the blind.”
“It’s great that people can hear from all three candidates,” said Simms, a military veteran, in an interview after the candidates’ remarks. About six months remain before the primary election next year.
The primary election in Maryland is May 14, and the General Election is Nov. 5, 2024. Another forum with the three candidates is scheduled for Dec. 3, 2023, in Bladensburg, Maryland.
Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Maryland’s Democratic U.S. Senate candidates converge in Cambridge
