WASHINGTON — With two Democratic incumbents facing competitive primaries, early campaign disclosures depict two different situations for U.S. Reps. April McClain Delaney and Kweisi Mfume.

While Mfume holds a solid fundraising edge over his most prominent challenger, Baltimore City Councilman Mark Conway, McClain Delaney’s fundraising has quickly fallen behind former Rep. David Trone’s self-funded war chest in what is expected to be a costly campaign for both candidates.

Trone, the multimillionaire co-owner of Total Wine & More, has already committed $5 million to his campaign and has a history of heavy spending in congressional races. In the 2024 Democratic Senate primary, Trone spent roughly $60 million to boost his campaign against then-Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.

Alsobrooks, whose campaign spent roughly $30 million against Trone and Republican Larry Hogan in the general election, won 53% of the vote to Trone’s 43%.

“David will spend what it takes to bring the fight back to Washington and stand up to Trump and MAGA Republicans,” Nathaniel McCarthy, a spokesperson for Trone, said in a statement to The Baltimore Sun. “He won’t take a dime from special interests, because he’s only interested in answering to Marylanders, not corporate PACs or lobbyists. It’s surprising that Congresswoman McClain Delaney has turned to corporate PACs to help defend this seat and her record of voting with Trump.”

“When the incumbent’s results are stripping away due process and strengthening Trump’s mass deportation agenda, no price is too high to stand up against it,” McCarthy added.

McClain Delaney raised roughly $113,000 from individuals and political committees during the end of 2025, according to a Jan. 29 campaign filing. She also loaned her campaign $300,000, leaving her with about $823,000 in cash. Trone currently has $3.6 million in cash.

The freshman lawmaker has personal wealth to draw from. Her husband, former Rep. John Delaney, is a multimillionaire entrepreneur who founded multiple health care and lending ventures. Delaney was once estimated to be the sixth-richest member of Congress.

A Western Maryland Democrat, McClain Delaney represents Frederick, Washington, Allegany and Garrett counties and part of Montgomery County. Trone represented the district from 2019 through 2024.

Well-funded campaigns carry inherent advantages, allowing candidates to amplify their messages through advertising and voter outreach. Though the wealthiest candidate does not always win, a large war chest can significantly improve a candidate’s chances.

Current fundraising does not tell the full story. During her first race in 2024, McClain Delaney made repeated loans to her campaign, injecting increased sums in the month before the primary and general elections. Those loans totaled $3.87 million.

“April McClain Delaney is building a formidable campaign and will have the resources necessary to communicate her record of delivering for the Sixth District and standing up to Donald Trump,” campaign manager Nick London said in a statement to The Sun. “David Trone learned the hard way in 2024 that he can outspend an opponent and still lose. We don’t know how much David Trone will spend, but we know that Marylanders value a record of results over a record-breaking checkbook.”

As Trone seeks a return to Congress, Conway is campaigning on generational change. The 37-year-old District 4 councilman launched his challenge to Mfume in October and raised just over $87,000, according to a Feb. 6 campaign filing. Mfume, who has yet to formally announce his reelection campaign but intends to run again, raised roughly the same amount during the period.

Luca Amayo, a spokesperson for Conway, noted that all of Conway’s donations came from individual donors. Mfume received $25,000 from political committees.

“From the start, our path to victory has been rooted in engaging grassroots voters on the issues that shape their daily lives,” Amayo said. “Baltimoreans want their federal tax dollars focused on issues like lowering energy bills, accelerating home ownership, and building reliable transit — not funding forever wars and genocide abroad.”

Although Mfume raised the same amount as Conway, he has a significant edge in overall funding, with $748,000 in his campaign account to Conway’s $87,000.

Mfume told The Sun that he wasn’t surprised by how much Conway raised.

“When you announce for an office and you start running, that first couple of months you get a lot of donations,” Mfume said. “Because family and friends and people in your neighborhood — everybody wants you to do well.”

The former NAACP president said he expects similar fundraising bumps for other challengers, including Theo Gillespie and repeat candidate Tashi Davis.

Mfume, 77, would become the oldest member of Maryland’s congressional delegation if reelected. Rep. Steny Hoyer, a Southern Maryland Democrat, recently announced he would not seek reelection amid calls from some Democratic voters for younger representation. Hoyer is 86.

“I still have my physical stamina, which is extremely important to me,” Mfume said. “The day I don’t have that, that’s the day I think about doing something else.”

“I’ve been blessed, I think, by Almighty God to do this,” he added. “I don’t want to do anything else but this.”

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