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Why Maryland’s Senate Primary Became A Battle Of Identity Politics

Donna Edwards and her son speak with voters at a polling place in Baltimore on Tuesday. CREDIT: KIRA LERNER
Donna Edwards and her son speak with voters at a polling place in Baltimore on Tuesday. CREDIT: KIRA LERNER

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND — “It’s about who’s at the table, and right now, I don’t think we have all the voices at the tables.” Maryland Senate candidate Donna Edwards (D) was making the rounds at a northeast Baltimore polling place on Tuesday, shaking voters’ hands and posing for pictures.

When it comes to differentiating herself from her competition, Edwards knows where to focus, especially in Baltimore. Right now there are no African American women in the Senate — Edwards, who is currently serving in the House, would be the second ever.

“We’re people too. That’s how I feel about it,” said Cynthia Young, a black Baltimore resident who listened to Edwards’ pitch Tuesday afternoon.

“I like firsts,” said Towanda Riley, a black woman and mother of three. “Women don’t get very many opportunities. We fight twice as hard for everything we get.”  Edwards has made a large play to win voters like Young and Riley. But so has her opponent, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D).

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On the campaign trail, the candidates have tried to highlight their differences. They have sparred over trade and gun control, two areas in which they disagree. Van Hollen, considered a more “establishment” Democratic but also progressive on women’s issues, has touted his leadership in the House and has criticized Edwards’ effectiveness and willingness to compromise. Edwards, meanwhile, has spoken about her unique experiences as a single mother, working minimum wage jobs and struggling to support her family.

But because the two Senate hopefuls are largely similar on the issues, the race has become a battle of identity politics. There have not been any African American women in the Senate for 17 years. Edwards would make history as the second ever black woman in the highest chamber of Congress. And because Maryland is a solidly Democratic state, the winner of the tight primary is almost assured to succeed retiring Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D), the longest serving woman in Congress.

In Baltimore on Tuesday, Edwards campaigned alongside her 27-year-old son, Jared, someone she speaks about often.

“As a mother who has raised, I would say, a fine black man, it’s really important for me to be able to carry those views and visions into the United States Senate,” Edwards told ThinkProgress. “A lot of moms and parents feel that their voices are not at the table.”

The question on Tuesday centers on how much voters should consider a candidate’s race and gender when casting their ballots.

Towanda Riley said she voted for Edwards because the Senate needs more “girl power.”
Towanda Riley said she voted for Edwards because the Senate needs more “girl power.”

Succeeding The Longest-Serving Woman

EMILY’s List, the pro-choice group that supports Democratic women running for office, thinks it should be paramount. The group’s Super PAC has spent at least $2.4 million on Edwards’ campaign — spokesperson Rachel Thomas told ThinkProgress they have only raised more for Hillary Clinton.

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The group credits Mikulski’s Senate win in 1986 as its first political victory. But this year, it has been criticized by many Democrats who believe it is wasting time and money challenging a progressive Democrat who is also pro-women. But the group maintains that Edwards is “the progressive champion” who will fight for women and families in the Senate and who “has that perspective that isn’t there.”

“When one of the most important government-making bodes in our democracy is talking about issues like minimum wage, equal pay, paid family leave, it’s a problem when African American women’s voices aren’t at the table,” Thomas said. “And we believe Donna brings that much needed perspective.”

Edwards raised her son on her own while attending law school. Supporters say she would provide a much-needed voice for the the nation’s 10 million single mothers, who are frequently the subject of political debate.

Edwards stopped by a polling place in Baltimore on Tuesday. CREDIT: Kira Lerner
Edwards stopped by a polling place in Baltimore on Tuesday. CREDIT: Kira Lerner

Benjamin Gerges, a spokesperson for Edwards’ campaign, told ThinkProgress that her personal experience has already shaped the policies she’s promoted in Congress. After realizing that many children in her district were going hungry at home, she secured federal funding for Maryland’s Afterschool Supper Program.

EMILY’s List also sees its role as giving Edwards a shot against a well-financed candidate like Van Hollen, who has far out-raised her and out-paced her in advertising.

“A lot of times it’s about leveling the playing field in a system that is often stacked toward the wealthy and well-connected,” Thomas said. “It’s about bringing women to office who will be progressive champions.”

The Importance Of Race

While EMILY’s List is focusing on her gender, Edwards’ race has also had a large role in the primary race. More than 40 percent of the Democratic primary electorate in Maryland is expected to be African American, and Baltimore, one of the most diverse cities in Maryland, has become a crucial battleground.

Gerges said Edwards’ campaign has focused heavily on building support in and around Baltimore.

“We knew we needed a small Baltimore coalition that’s going to be different from your typical Democratic Party coalition,” he said, citing endorsements from State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby and the attorney for the Freddie Gray family, Billy Murphy, among others.

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The Maryland primary falls almost exactly one year after protests broke out across Baltimore after Gray, an unarmed 25-year-old, was killed by police. In the year since, the city’s policing practices have become the subject of a Department of Justice investigation and a heated mayoral race has emerged, pitting career politicians against outsiders eager to influence the recovering city. Edwards’ campaign has also attempted to appeal to the sentiments that emerged during the protests and riots following Gray’s death, Gerges said.

“There is a desire in Baltimore for a different voice for leadership, for change,” he said. “And for someone who’s willing to take on the tough fights that get ignored too often in Washington. I think Donna’s candidacy embodies some of that.”

While Van Hollen may also talk about criminal justice reform, he has not had the personal experiences that Edwards can speak about. Like many black parents, she has had to have difficult conversations with her son about how to interact with law enforcement, Thomas said.

The Senate will likely continue to tackle criminal justice reform in the coming years, and Edwards told ThinkProgress she would like to be there to see to it that Baltimore and other cities are given federal resources to improve their policing systems. “We want all of our communities to be safe, and in order to do that, we have to have a partnership between law enforcement and the community,” she said.

EMILY’s List’s Super PAC arm has spent heavily in Baltimore. Thomas said its spending on TV ads in Baltimore has brought Edwards’ support to parity with Van Hollen’s in that crucial area of the state.

Yet for some, voting decisions will not come down to the race or gender of a candidate. Yvette Lewis, Van Hollen’s state co-chair and the former head of the Maryland Democratic Party, told NPR that her endorsement decision was based on experience alone.

“It was not about a demographic for me,” she said. “Just because someone doesn’t look like me doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t do what’s best for me. It wasn’t based on emotion. It was based on cold, hard facts. He doesn’t have to look like the people he represents in order to represent them effectively.”