Rep. David Trone, Total Wine owner, is running for Senate in 2024 as Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin retires

Democratic Rep. David Trone announced his bid for Senate Thursday to replace retiring Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, joining the rapidly growing lists of candidates vying for the open seat in what is likely to be a competitive Democratic primary.

Trone, who is currently serving his third term in the House after reelection in 2022, focused on his congressional record on substance abuse deaths, the mental health crisis and the criminal justice system in a video launching his campaign.

“By bringing people together, I’d like to think I made headway, but it’s not enough,” Trone said in the video. “I know I won’t be the establishment choice, but hey, why start now? I’ve always been about representing you, not them.”

The Maryland lawmaker also referred to his upbringing and business background. Trone is the co-founder and co-owner of Total Wine & More, an alcohol retail chain he began with his brother in 1991 with a store in Delaware, according to its website.

His announcement comes after Cardin announced Monday he will not seek reelection at the end of his third term.

“I am proud of all I have done for Maryland. I have given my heart and soul to our great state, and I thank Marylanders for trusting me as your representative for all these years,” Cardin said in a statement.

Cardin, a longtime Maryland lawmaker, was first elected to the Senate in 2006, replacing retiring Democrat Paul Sarbanes. Before that, the 79-year-old represented Maryland’s third congressional district – including a large part of Baltimore and several surrounding suburbs – in the House of Representatives from 1987 to 2006.

Trone first ran for Congress in 2016, spending more than $12.4 million into his campaign, but lost the Democratic primary to now-Rep. Jamie Raskin. Trone ran again in 2018, this time winning a different, more competitive Maryland district that encompasses the Western panhandle of the state.

The lawmaker now joins the growing list of candidates seeking to be the Democratic Senate candidate, which includes, Will Jawando, a council member from Maryland’s Montgomery County, and Jerome Segal, a philosopher who previously challenged Cardin for Senate in 2018.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: David Trone running for Maryland Senate seat in 2024 as Cardin retires