Rumor: Delaney to run for Governor, Trone to run for Delaney’s seat

A few interesting things have popped up in recent days that indicate that John Delaney will be running for Governor of Maryland in 2018.

Delaney’s Congressional office has recently been running this promoted ad on Facebook:

The ad focuses on Delaney’s role as a job creator and economic develop. Hardly issues that he needs to buttress were he to run for a fourth term in Congress, but issues that would be important to differentiate himself from his competitors in a Democratic gubernatorial primary.

That’s not the only piece of this puzzle that indicates Delaney is moving on.

Trending: Thank You

Recently Bethesda Magazine ran a piece about Total Wine executive David Trone. Trone ran for Congress unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary in the 8th District. Trone’s name had been bandied about as a potential candidate for Montgomery County Executive. But he’s been coy:

Total Wine & More founder David Trone has not decided whether he will run for Montgomery County executive or some other political office in 2018, but he now has an office in Potomac for “non-corporate” activities, according to Total Wine spokesman Edward Cooper.

Bethesda Beat stopped by the office Wednesday afternoon. Though the door was locked and the space appeared unoccupied, the windows were uncovered and inside were stacks of folding tables, large David Trone for Congress campaign signs and several work spaces with computers.

Cooper said in an email to Bethesda Beat on Tuesday “the office space is to separate” Trone’s “corporate and non-corporate activities.”

The picture is the story here.

Becuase why would David Trone and his people make sure that in his office space to “separate corporate and non-corporate activities would there be a sign for a campaign that he lost nearly a year ago?

Unless he were planning to run for Congress again. And if he *were* to run for Congress again, he certainly will not run again against incumbent Jamie Raskin. Especially considering his new office was established in the 6th District and has been on record since January that he would run in the 6th District if Delaney were to run for Governor.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And it’s clear that Delaney and Trone’s machinations point to several moving pieces that will change the 2018 campaign dynamic in several races.