Nearly 30 members of Congress, including the son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the lead impeachment manager during the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, are backing their colleague, Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) in the competitive 2024 Democratic primary for the open seat for Maryland’s U.S. Senate.
Trone’s campaign announced Monday that U.S. Reps. Jonathan L. Jackson (D-Ill.) and Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) are among Trone’s colleagues from across the country endorsing him to succeed retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). The contest mainly pits him against Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D), an establishment favorite who has piled up a number of endorsements from Democratic Party heavyweights in Maryland, and Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando (D-At Large), who has declared himself the race’s most liberal candidate.
Trone, who is self-funding his campaign and has a substantial financial advantage over his Democratic opponents, said he was honored to gain support from such a diverse group of liberal leaders who say he will be ready to lead on “Day 1” in the Senate.
Each candidate has been trying to position themselves as the most liberal one in the contest since Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) opted last month to run for reelection rather than enter the race. Raskin has yet to back any of the candidates in the May primary.
“I’m endorsing David Trone for United States Senate because I’ve seen him rise to the occasion time after time in Congress,” Jackson said in a statement. “In addition to working to end the systemic racism plaguing our criminal justice system, David is also cracking down on the fentanyl supply poisoning our communities and addressing our nation’s mental health crisis.”
Among the 27 Democratic members of Congress endorsing Trone are: Reps. Colin Allred (Tex.), Susie Lee (Nev.) and Ann Kuster (N.H.). Several of his backers are running for Senate in their own states.
Trone’s announcement is the latest showing of the 2024 Maryland candidates racking up and rolling out endorsements to gain a foothold in the wide-open race.
Last week, Alsobrooks, who could become just the third Black woman to serve in the Senate, announced that Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) had thrown his support behind her bid, joining Democratic Reps. Steny H. Hoyer (Md.), the former majority leader; and Kweisi Mfume, one of the state’s two Black representatives on Capitol Hill.
Jawando, meanwhile, will benefit from a new political action committee set up to promote his candidacy — the Maryland Democratic Action Network PAC, which says it has a team of “accomplished and diverse consultants” with expertise in TV and digital advertising, direct mail and polling.
The PAC plans to put forward a “multimillion dollar effort” to promote Jawando. “Together, we will mobilize the people of Maryland to elect Will Jawando, a fighter who embodies the values we hold dear: compassion, justice, and a determination to deliver for the communities he serves,” the PAC’s leader, former Obama administration deputy press secretary Bill Burton, said in a statement.
Erin Cox contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with additional information from the Trone campaign.