MARYLAND, USA — WUSA 9 is committed to keeping Maryland voters informed ahead of the primary election on May 14. A number of candidates will move on to the general election in November. Among those hopeful candidates is Rep. David Trone (D-MD), vying to snag the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat to be left vacant by Sen. Ben Carson when he retires at the end of his term.
Among some of the biggest issues important to voters are crime, the economy and jobs, as outlined in a recent poll conducted by Goucher College in partnership with the Baltimore Banner. So, WUSA9 is taking those issues straight to the candidates, starting with Trone, to get a better understanding of where he stands.
“Crime is a big, big issue,” Trone said. “We have to have accountability. We failed as an education system. We aren’t getting everyone the education to get them the tools to succeed in life. That means we need full day [for] three-year old’s, full day for Pre-K. We need to do free community college."
An additional key that Trone said would deter crime is jobs.
“When someone gets a job, recidivism is 8%," the congressman said. "If they don’t have a job, it is 75%. With the 2.3 million folks incarcerated right now, if we just got them a job, wed have two million less crimes."
While jobs are important, families complain of wages that fail to keep pace with the rise of inflation, which amounted to 3.2%, government records show.
“Folks have to have full-time jobs so they can have health insurance, they can have sick leave, they can have retirement. It has to lead to a career,” Trone said. “We have to help get them get training, apprenticeships and things like that to get those jobs.”
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March also threatens Maryland’s economy. With the Port of Baltimore only partially open, larger ships cannot enter the port, which threatens jobs. Gov. Wes Moore signed an economic bill to provide some relief and the federal government has also provided $60 million in emergency funds, but Maryland leaders estimate billions are needed to construct the bridge and fully reopen the port.
President Joe Biden said the federal government should pay the entire cost to rebuild the bridge and Maryland’s congressional delegation, which includes Trone, believes that will happen.
“It’s our job in congress as appropriators to get those dollars to Maryland," he said. “It will be a couple of billion most likely. That is absolutely going to happen. The country will come together.”
Trone also addressed a recent remark he made during a congressional budget hearing where he referred to a Republican colleague as a "jigaboo"—an offensive, racist term used to describe African Americans. Trone said he meant to use the word ‘bugaboo’ and followed up with an apology both after the incident and again during his conversation with WUSA9.
When asked if he has used the word prior, he answered "never in my life.”
The incident has not had much of an effect on his campaign. Trone continues to lead the other major Democratic contender, Prince George’s County Executive, Angela Alsobrooks by seven points, recent polling showed. His campaign also picked up an endorsement from Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown.
“I have a chance to change this country, in a lot of really good ways," Trone said. "A lot of really good stuff. And that’s why I do this."
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