primary, noting the lawmaker informed staff members, “It is important that you put democracy in action and vote for your candidate!”
Trone, co-owner of the $2.4 billion liquor retail chain Total Wine & More, poured a staggering $61.8 million of his fortune into his, who is endorsed by top congressional Democrats. In an email to hundreds of Total Wine & More employees Monday afternoon, CEO Troy Rice reminded staff members of the race and sent resources along for them to vote.
“Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 14 is Primary Election Day in the State of Maryland, a day when voters exercise one of their most important rights, to vote for whom will serve them in local, state and federal government office,” Rice wrote in the email, which was obtained by the“Voters in Maryland will decide the Democratic and Republican party candidates for local offices as well as U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate and President of the United States,” Rice continued in the email.
The email to staff members at Total Wine & More comes as Trone faces scrutiny from legal experts over his personal finances in connection to the company before the primary.
Trone has led Alsobrooks, a black woman, for months by a sizable lead — though a poll released Thursday found him trailing her by 1 percentage point. In March, Trone notably came under fire for using the term “jigaboo,” a racial slur against black people, during a hearing. He then issued an apology and claimed he intended to use the word “bugaboo,” but members of the Congressional Black Caucus had already moved to endorse Alsobrooks.