EMILY's List Endorses Rep. Edwards In Maryland Senate Race

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM

Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) has received the endorsement of the powerful political action committee EMILY's List in her bid for Sen. Barbara Mikulski's (D-MD) Senate seat.

"Donna Edwards is a true progressive champion with an outstanding record of fighting for women and families in Congress," EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock said in a statement on Thursday. "She is poised to make history as the second African-American woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate – the first in over two decades. In 1986, EMILY’s List helped Barbara Mikulski, our very first endorsed candidate, shatter a glass ceiling as the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate in her own right."

The endorsement means Edwards will have backing from an influential outside group in her candidacy for Senate. Her biggest opponent so far in the primary is Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who has a warchest of over $1.6 million.

Liberal outside groups have already rallied around Edwards, hoping to make her another firebrand in the mold of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Even before Edwards jumped into the race, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and influential MoveOn.org began a Draft Edwards campaign.

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Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/emily-s-list-endorses-donna-edwards

[turbinetree]

1. Shes got my Vote

[BumRushDaShow]

2. K&R

She would be a great addition to the Senate. She is a fierce advocate for government employees too.

[riversedge]

3. thank you

[Dems to Win]

4. Yay! Hope she wins

I'm a bit annoyed that Harry Reid jumped in to endorse Van Hollen so quickly.

[elleng]

5. I like them both, and no doubt she would be ACTIVELY out there

for progressive causes. NOT surprised Reid jumped for Van Hollen, who is a part of Dem party 'leadership.'

'Speaker Nancy Pelosi created a new leadership post, Assistant to the Speaker, in 2006 so that Van Hollen could be present at all leadership meetings. After the Democrats regained control of the House in the 2006 elections, Van Hollen became the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the fifth-ranking position among House Democrats. In this post, Van Hollen was responsible for leading efforts to get more Democrats elected to Congress.

After the Democratic losses in 2010, Van Hollen did not run for re-election to chair of the DCCC. Van Hollen instead chose to run for the top Democratic spot on the House Budget Committee, which was being vacated by outgoing chairman John Spratt who had been defeated for re-election. Van Hollen was elected as the ranking member on the Budget Committee on November 17, 2010. Pelosi appointed him to the 12-member bipartisan Committee on Deficit Reduction with a mandate for finding major budget reductions by late 2011. On October 17, 2013 Pelosi appointed Van Hollen to serve on the bicameral conference committee.[1] Van Hollen is running for the United States Senate in 2016 in a bid to replace incumbent Senator Barbara Mikulski, who is retiring.[2]'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Van_Hollen

P.S., I'm a constituent of Van Hollen now.

[swilton]

6. Great!

Elijah Cummings would also work...Van Hollen is a corporate dem; until 2010 I was from his district.