Maryland Rep. Apologizes For Accidentally Using Racial Slur: Reports

MARYLAND — Maryland's Rep. David Trone has apologized for what he said was his accidental use of a racial slur during a budget hearing, according to multiple reports.

Trone, who is running for the state's Senate, said he was "attempting to use the word 'bugaboo' in the hearing, but accidentally said 'jigaboo' instead, according to The Baltimore Banner.

"This Republican jigaboo that, you know, it's a tax rate that’s stopping business investment, that's just completely faulty by people who have never run a business," Trone said, according to the Banner. "They’ve never been there."

In an official statement from his campaign, which was obtained by multiple other outlets including The Associated Press, Trone noted that the word "has a long dark terrible history" and "should never be used any time, anywhere, in any conversation."

Trone continued: "I recognize that as a white man, I have privilege. And as an elected official, I have a responsibility for the words I use — especially in the heat of the moment. Regardless of what I meant to say, I shouldn’t have used that language."

A frontrunner for the Democratic nomination to replace Sen. Ben Cardin, Trone is running against candidates including Angela Alsobrooks, who would become the state's first Black U.S. senator.

Trone was elected in 2018 to serve Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Garrett, Allegany, and Washington Counties. He serves on the House Appropriations Committee, Budget Committee, and the Joint Economic Committee, and has vowed to tackle issues including the opioid epidemic, criminal justice reform, mental health, and funding for medical research.