David Trone is a ‘fighter with skin in the game’ | READER COMMENTARY

Senate candidate's rags-to-riches story is compelling given the difficult challenges facing the country.

This campaign season, I’ve read countless articles about U.S. Rep. David Trone self-funding his campaign for the U.S. Senate (“Maryland’s high-stakes Senate primary heads to the final stretch,” May 7). I’ve also read the other candidates’ complaints about it but, to me, the money he’s spending was hard-earned and means that his vote belongs to Marylanders, not anyone else.

I’m the proud son of a single mother. Growing up we faced hard times living in Section 8 housing and relying on food stamps to get by. So when I read Trone’s story, I understood it. Looking at the candidate now, I couldn’t believe that he grew up so poor — with an outhouse no less. As a kid, he worked shoveling chicken coops and hog pens to help his family pay the bills. He worked his way through school on student loans. His story isn’t the same as mine, but we both know what it’s like to struggle to survive and succeed.

I support Trone because I know he has fought and will continue to fight so more people like us can rise from hard times and provide for their families. That’s just who he is: a fighter with skin in the game. We need someone in the Senate who can solve our biggest problems because they’ve lived them. For me, that’s David Trone.

— Elliott Lockett, Baltimore

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