The Political Ad That Sparked Outrage: How One Phrase Led To A Major Campaign Revamp

By Maria Angelino | Friday, 03 May 2024 11:59 PM
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The Political Ad That Sparked Outrage: How One Phrase Led To A Major Campaign Revamp
Image Credit : Variety Magazine

Democratic Representative David Trone of Maryland has been compelled to revise a portion of his recent Senate primary television advertisement.

This decision was prompted by a backlash from a group of black women who condemned the ad as racially insensitive, as reported by Axios on Thursday.

Trone had initially launched an aggressive campaign against his African-American Democratic rival, Angela Alsobrooks, the current County Executive of Prince George’s. The controversial ad featured a local black politician who asserted that the “U.S. Senate is not a place for training wheels.” This phrase, however, was subsequently removed from the video after more than 650 black women penned a letter expressing their disapproval. They argued that the ad's sentiment was “not only disparaging and dismissive but also echoes tones of misogyny and racism,” according to Axios.

In a statement to Axios, Trone's campaign explained the edit: “Our team noticed a typographical error in the number of bills that David has passed through Congress. While fixing that error, our editors found additional footage of our endorsers that they found compelling and chose to make a number of additional edits.”

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Among the signatories of the letter criticizing Trone’s ad was former Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Donna Brazile, as reported by Axios.

In a separate incident in late March, Trone was criticized for using a racial slur during a congressional hearing with a black official from the Biden administration. The congressman later apologized, claiming he intended to use a different term.

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Following this incident, several Democratic lawmakers, including Representatives Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Barbara Lee of California, Gregory Meeks of New York, Yvette Clarke of New York, Joyce Beatty of Ohio, and Jasmine Crockett of Texas, endorsed Alsobrooks' campaign.

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Alsobrooks has also received endorsements from Maryland Democrats Governor Wes Moore, Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller, Senator Chris Van Hollen, and Representative Steny Hoyer, along with Democratic Senators Laphonza Butler of California, Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Patty Murray of Washington.

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Trone, on the other hand, has the backing of over 60 Democratic House members, including Representatives Adam Schiff of California and Colin Allred of Texas.

According to FiveThirtyEight’s survey average for the May 14 Democratic primary, Trone currently leads Alsobrooks by 13 points. Trone is also projected to fare better against former GOP Governor Larry Hogan in a November matchup, although most polls suggest the Republican would win against either Democrat.

The seat, which is being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, is currently classified as "Likely D" by The Cook Political Report.

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