Donna Edwards was one of the first candidates Blue America endorsed (2006). She ran against a corrupt conservative– Al Wynn– who finally just gave up and became a lobbyist. The entire Democratic establishment campaigned against her– including Pelosi and, especially, Hoyer. They raised massive amounts of money for Wynn. His resignation triggered a special election– which she won and she remained in Congress until the 2016 cycle, when she ran for the Senate and was beaten by a centrist establishment Democrat, Chris Van Hollen.
Once she got to Congress, she used her skills as an organizer to help unify progressives, something she has been doing for her entire life and is still doing. Her district is one of the bluest in the state (PVI is D+29 and Trump was unable to reach even 20% either time he ran). That means the winner of the June 28th primary. Delegate Jazz Lewis; corporate attorney Glenn Ivey, former Delegate Angela Angel and a guy named James Curtis are all running against Donna in the primary. Ivey has already turned negative with a slick radio ad from a company that assists conservative Democrats. The text: “You know, there are always some folks who talk a big game, but never show up when it matters. Talkers vs. doers. Look at Congress– full of talkers.”
The narrator doesn’t mention anything about Ivey being a corporate lawyer; just that “He made things better for us. He’s a doer.” Then Ivey’s voice: “You pay too much for gas, too much for food, and there’s too much crime. I’m running for Congress to roll up my sleeves and get things done. You work hard, and I’ll work hard for you.” An ad with basically no content that couldn’t be used by any Republican. He’s widely known as one of the most pro-police politicians in Maryland.
Donna, in the other hand, immediately told the Baltimore Sun that “We’ll make the wealthy finally pay their fair share, so we can start bringing down the cost of living for our families.” That’s not the kind of messaging you hear from Republicans or Democrats– like Ivey– from the Manchin-Sinema wing of the party.
Since September, Ivey raised $277,574, mostly (83.71%) from wealthy donors giving big contributions. In just 11 days, Donna out-raised his whole quarter. But she’s got to keep that going if she’s going to win this primary. Please consider contributing here or by clicking on the graphic above, which is a live link.
Thanks for always doing what you can to help make this a better world,
Howie, for the entire Blue America team
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