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Top contenders for U.S. Senate appear together at Democratic Party function in Montgomery County

May 19, 2023

The top three Democrats whoā€™ve announced their intentions to run for U.S. Senate appeared together at a Maryland Democratic Party event Wednesday.

Prince Georgeā€™s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D), Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando (D) and Rep. David Trone (D-6th) gave brief remarks before a packed crowd at the New Fortune Restaurant in Gaithersburg. The one-hour program celebrated Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, with featured guests including Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller (D), the first South Asian woman elected lieutenant governor in the United States, and the first Indian American lieutenant governor in Maryland history.

ā€œIt speaks a lot to the importance of the Asian community,ā€ said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D). ā€œIn this room are people whose connections are a lot deeper than what we see here. It is important to talk to people within their communities.ā€

Elrich hasnā€™t decided which Democratic candidate he will support in next yearā€™s primary to replace long-time public official Sen. Ben Cardin (D), whoĀ announced earlier this month that he wouldnā€™t seek reelectionĀ to the seat.

The emerging top candidates addressed the crowd how the AAPI community represents an important base in the Democratic Party, with focuses on education, entrepreneurship and eradicating hate.

ā€œAnd most importantly, it is a community that believes in getting stuff done,ā€ Trone said. ā€œThis is not about junior high school. This is about getting stuff accomplished and thatā€™s what we can do in the U.S. Senate.ā€

Jawando, whose father came from Nigeria to the United States in 1970, talked about immigrants becoming successful in America.

But ā€œthereā€™s a big lie in America. The lie is that this room shouldnā€™t exist. ā€¦ [That] when we help our immigrant neighbors, when we help those less fortunate, it lessens my life. Thatā€™s a lie,ā€ he said, echoing his announcement video.

Alsobrooks said during her tenure as states attorney, violent crime in her jurisdiction decreased by 50% and the county broke ground on 10 new schools in the last three years.

ā€œWhen I tell you what I intend to accomplish for people in the Senate, Iā€™m not speaking aspirationally. Iā€™m not speaking to you theoretically. Iā€™m telling you what weā€™ve been able to accomplish already to this point,ā€ she said. ā€œThereā€™s so much more we can do for our families.ā€

You could read more of this WTOP article here.

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