McClain Delaney to Trone: ‘Stop misleading Maryland voters’
Incumbent says her opponent’s campaign materials could confuse constituents; Trone doubles down on ‘re-election’ language
By
Ceoli JacobyApril 24, 2026 5:30 p.m.
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Count Me In!With just less than two months to go until the June 23 primary election, incumbent U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-Dist. 6) is accusing her main Democratic opponent — Potomac businessman David Trone — of misleading voters about his current role.
McClain Delaney’s campaign said in a Friday press release that Trone’s use of the term “re-elect” in his campaign literature, combined with his use of the title “Congressman,” amounts to an attempt to deceive voters into believing he still holds the office when he does not.
On Thursday, the McClain Delaney campaign sent Trone’s campaign a cease-and-desist letter requesting he stop using both terms in his campaign literature going forward. WUSA9 was first to report on the letter.
“While candidates are free to reference prior service, they are not entitled to blur the distinction between former and current officeholding in a way that misleads voters into believing they currently serve in Congress,” David E. Owens, legal counsel to the April McClain Delaney for Congress campaign, wrote in the cease-and-desist letter.
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Trone, the co-owner of national alcoholic beverage retailer Total Wine & More, represented Maryland’s 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2019 to 2025.
The district includes all of Frederick, Allegany, Washington and Garrett counties. It also encompasses a swath of northwest Montgomery County that is home to about a quarter of the county’s voters.
Trone opted not to seek re-election to his House seat in 2024, instead running unsuccessfully for an open U.S. Senate seat. McClain Delaney, also of Potomac, won election to the vacant 6th District seat the same year. Trone is now running to recapture his former seat.
Trone campaign mailer
The McClain Delaney campaign on Friday provided Bethesda Today with photos of a mid-December mailer from the Trone campaign. The envelope and letter inside both included the text “From The Desk of Congressman David Trone” alongside an image of the U.S. Capitol dome. Bethesda Today independently confirmed the mailer’s authenticity.
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The mailer at issue in Friday’s release did not characterize Trone’s primary challenge as a re-election campaign. However, many of his other campaign materials — including his official website — feature a call to “Re-Elect Democrat David Trone.”
Trone’s campaign doubled down on that framing in a Friday statement to Bethesda Today.
“Here are the facts: April McClain Delaney votes with Trump and MAGA Republicans 22% of the time. Congressman David Trone spent six years fighting for Maryland in Washington,” the statement said. “He’s running for reelection because Maryland families deserve a leader who will stand up to Trump, not enable him.”
The statement from Trone’s campaign did not directly address the cease-and-desist letter from McClain Delaney’s campaign.
Though the mailer referenced in the McClain Delaney campaign’s release is now months old, it appears Trone continued to use the “From the Desk of Congressman David Trone” letterhead — without the image of the Capitol dome — in his communications to the Maryland General Assembly during its 2026 session, which ran from mid-January to mid-April.
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In general, it is not unheard of for politicians to continue using their former titles after they have left office.
While running for the same open U.S. Senate seat as Trone in 2024, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) used the “governor” title in video campaign ads, though he left the office in early 2023.
When McClain Delaney’s husband, former 6th District Rep. John Delaney, ran for president in 2020, his press secretary Michael Starr Hopkins continued to refer to the candidate as “Congressman Delaney” months after he left office.
Still, in the cease-and-desist letter, McClain Delaney’s campaign argued that Trone’s conduct may rise to the level of violating a federal law against “falsely assuming or pretending to be an officer or employee of the United States and acting as such.”
“Any such representation, particularly if used to influence recipients or obtain a benefit, raises significant legal and ethical issues,” Owens wrote in the letter. “We trust you will stop misleading Maryland voters and that your future communications will accurately reflect your status as a former Member of Congress.”
A contentious race
The 6th District race has been tense since Trone joined, with McClain Delaney responding to the news of Trone’s primary challenge by saying he has the “arrogance” of President Donald Trump.
Earlier this month, the candidates released separate polls with dramatically different results — the poll released by McClain Delaney’s campaign showed her leading Trone by 49% to 37%, with 14% undecided, while the poll released by Trone’s campaign showed him ahead by 51% to 30%.
Trone — and to a lesser extent, McClain Delaney — are spending personal money on their respective campaigns.
As of the end of the first quarter of 2026, Trone has spent more than $6.15 million on his campaign, with all but about $31,000 of that coming out of his own pocket, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
At the same time, McClain Delaney also has directed personal assets to her campaign, including $1.5 million at the end of last month that was designated as a loan. That is in addition to $700,000 in personal assets she placed in the campaign last year.
Apart from McClain Delaney and Trone, there are six other candidates seeking the Democratic nomination in Maryland’s 6th District this year. They include Montgomery County residents Alexis Goldstein, Ethan P. Wechtaluk and George Gluck, along with two Frederick County residents and a Washington County resident.
There is also a Republican primary for that party’s 6th District nomination, with Chris Burnett of Gaithersburg, an attorney and Marine veteran, and perennial candidate Robin Ficker of Boyds as the leading contenders.
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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine