May 1, 2016
(TriceEdneyWire.com) - U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards came up short in her desire to become only the second Black woman to be elected to the U. S. Senate. She would also have become the first African American to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate. The U. S. Senate currently has no Black women.
But former Lt.Gov. Anthony Brown and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emerged as winners in the Democratic Party primary on April 26.
Edwards did well in Prince George’s and Charles counties and in Baltimore City but lost decisively in Montgomery, Howard and Baltimore counties to Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). Edwards, in defeat, was gracious and thankful to her supporters.
“We fought a good race and I want to thank all of you for your help,” Edwards said to her followers at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Prince George’s headquarters in Lanham, Md.
Maryland Del. Jimmy Tarlau (D-District 47A) was a strong Edwards supporter and expressed disappointment at her loss.
“We had the chance to elect an African-American woman to the Senate and we did not do it,” he told the AFRO.
Edwards become the latest African American to lose a senatorial Democratic primary. In 2006, former U.S. representative from Baltimore and NAACP President Kweisi Mfume lost to then Rep. Ben Cardin in the party primary and in 2012, Maryland State Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-District 25) lost to Cardin, also.
Van Hollen thanked his supporters, praised Edwards for a well-fought campaign and pledged to work for the benefit of all Marylanders.
“Thank you, thank you Maryland Democrats,” he said to his supporters at the Bethesda Marriott.
“Thank all of you who spent time going door to door in every part of the state. Those of you making long calls, those of you up early in the morning and up late in the night. Thank all of you Maryland Democrats in this room and across this great state.”
Van Hollen praised Edwards for a hardfought campaign and pledged to continue to represent the progressive values that retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) embodied. The race to replace Edwards as the Fourth Congressional District representative was won by Brown, who was spurred on to victory largely because of his name recognition. Brown won 41.6 percent of the vote opposed to his top opponent, former County States Attorney Glenn Ivey receiving 34.1 percent.
Brown lost the 2014 gubernatorial race to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and voters in Prince George’s County and Anne Arundel County still remember his name while his chief opponent is primarily popular in Prince George’s County. See afro.com for article on the race for the Fourth Congressional House seat.
Clinton had no problem winning the Maryland primary, besting U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in most areas of the state with 63 percent of the vote. Maurice Simpson led Clinton’s effort in Prince George’s County and said the Black vote was key for her.
“African Americans turned out strongly for Secretary Clinton,” Simpson told the AFRO.
Van Hollen will face Republican Kathy Szeliga, who is currently a state delegate representing parts of Baltimore and Harford counties, in the Nov. 8 general election. Brown will face Republican George McDermott on Nov. 8, 2016 also and is expected to win easily because of the Fourth Congressional District’s 2 to 1 Democratic Party advantage in voter registration.