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David Trone
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David Trone
David John Trone (born September 21, 1955) is an American politician and businessman who served as the U.S. representative for Maryland's 6th congressional district from 2019 to 2025. The district includes most of the western third of the state, but the bulk of its population is in the outer northern suburbs of Washington, D.C. Trone founded and co-owns Total Wine & More with his brother, Robert L. Trone, and served as the company's president until December 2016.
In 2016, Trone spent more than $13 million of his own money on his unsuccessful Democratic primary campaign to succeed Chris Van Hollen in Maryland's 8th congressional district, setting a record for the most expensive self-funded House campaign. In 2018, Trone was the Democratic nominee for the 6th district and won the general election to succeed John Delaney. Trone made mental health issues and fighting addiction a top priority during his tenure in Congress, where he co-chaired the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force.
Trone announced his candidacy for the United States Senate in the 2024 election to succeed Ben Cardin. Trone spent over $60 million of his own money to support his campaign. On May 14, 2024, he was defeated in the Democratic primary by Prince George's County executive Angela Alsobrooks. In December 2025, Trone announced that he would again run for Congress in Maryland's 6th congressional district, challenging his successor, fellow Democrat April McClain-Delaney.
Trone was born in Maryland and raised on a 200-acre (81 ha) farm in East Berlin, Pennsylvania, where his father Thomas ran a chicken and hog operation. Thomas also owned a soda and beer store. When Trone's parents separated, his father kept the farm and his mother took over the store. Thomas and his farm went into bankruptcy, but Trone kept working at his mother's store.
Trone graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Furman University in 1977, and earned a Master of Business Administration in 1985 from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Having seen the potential of the beer sales at his mother's store, Trone began his career by founding the beer-only retailer Beer World in Pennsylvania in 1984, during his second semester of graduate school. Months before graduating from Wharton, in 1985, Trone expanded into the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Over time, he opened additional stores, called Beer and Pop Warehouse and, later, Beer World, which were owned by friends and family members because Pennsylvania state law prohibited individuals from owning more than one beer retail outlet.
Trone, with his brother Robert's help, opened two stores in Delaware in 1991, adding wine and spirits to the company's offerings. Using knowledge acquired at Wharton, the brothers chose to replicate the family store's model across Pennsylvania. The beverage company had slim margins, but was immediately profitable and allowed the brothers to focus on operations. They familiarized themselves with regulators and industry leaders, and began changing laws that restrict wholesalers from offering retailers discounts in exchange for large volume purchases, among others, in their attempt to promote beverage consumption.
The business has since expanded into what is known today as Total Wine & More, the largest privately owned beer, wine, and spirits retailer in the U.S. In December 2016, Trone gave up his title of president to chief executive Kevin Peters. He has continued to make money from Total Wine & More while in Congress, reporting more than $110 million in personal income during his tenure.
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David Trone
David John Trone (born September 21, 1955) is an American politician and businessman who served as the U.S. representative for Maryland's 6th congressional district from 2019 to 2025. The district includes most of the western third of the state, but the bulk of its population is in the outer northern suburbs of Washington, D.C. Trone founded and co-owns Total Wine & More with his brother, Robert L. Trone, and served as the company's president until December 2016.
In 2016, Trone spent more than $13 million of his own money on his unsuccessful Democratic primary campaign to succeed Chris Van Hollen in Maryland's 8th congressional district, setting a record for the most expensive self-funded House campaign. In 2018, Trone was the Democratic nominee for the 6th district and won the general election to succeed John Delaney. Trone made mental health issues and fighting addiction a top priority during his tenure in Congress, where he co-chaired the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force.
Trone announced his candidacy for the United States Senate in the 2024 election to succeed Ben Cardin. Trone spent over $60 million of his own money to support his campaign. On May 14, 2024, he was defeated in the Democratic primary by Prince George's County executive Angela Alsobrooks. In December 2025, Trone announced that he would again run for Congress in Maryland's 6th congressional district, challenging his successor, fellow Democrat April McClain-Delaney.
Trone was born in Maryland and raised on a 200-acre (81 ha) farm in East Berlin, Pennsylvania, where his father Thomas ran a chicken and hog operation. Thomas also owned a soda and beer store. When Trone's parents separated, his father kept the farm and his mother took over the store. Thomas and his farm went into bankruptcy, but Trone kept working at his mother's store.
Trone graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Furman University in 1977, and earned a Master of Business Administration in 1985 from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Having seen the potential of the beer sales at his mother's store, Trone began his career by founding the beer-only retailer Beer World in Pennsylvania in 1984, during his second semester of graduate school. Months before graduating from Wharton, in 1985, Trone expanded into the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Over time, he opened additional stores, called Beer and Pop Warehouse and, later, Beer World, which were owned by friends and family members because Pennsylvania state law prohibited individuals from owning more than one beer retail outlet.
Trone, with his brother Robert's help, opened two stores in Delaware in 1991, adding wine and spirits to the company's offerings. Using knowledge acquired at Wharton, the brothers chose to replicate the family store's model across Pennsylvania. The beverage company had slim margins, but was immediately profitable and allowed the brothers to focus on operations. They familiarized themselves with regulators and industry leaders, and began changing laws that restrict wholesalers from offering retailers discounts in exchange for large volume purchases, among others, in their attempt to promote beverage consumption.
The business has since expanded into what is known today as Total Wine & More, the largest privately owned beer, wine, and spirits retailer in the U.S. In December 2016, Trone gave up his title of president to chief executive Kevin Peters. He has continued to make money from Total Wine & More while in Congress, reporting more than $110 million in personal income during his tenure.
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