Rep. Donna Edwards will throw her name into the Maryland Senate race. She announced her move in a video and is the second Democrat to announce her candidacy, setting up a high profile primary for the Democratic nomination.
The seat became open for the first time in nearly 30 years after Sen. Barbara Mikulski announced her retirement last week.
In addition to Edwards, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the top Democrat on the Budget Committee and member of House Democratic leadership, also announced that he will run.
Edwards, who was the first African American woman to be elected to Congress from Maryland, has the backing of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, as well as other progressive groups, who have been encouraging Edwards to jump into the race. Van Hollen received the endorsement of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) last week, an endorsement that came just hours after the New York Times published an interview with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi where she said she was encouraging Van Hollen not to run.
Other Democrats who could also run include for the nomination include Anthony Brown, former Lt. Governor, who surprisingly lost the race for governor in 2014 in what became a bad year to run as a Democrat. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake could consider a run, too, as could Heather Mizeur, former member of House of Delegates and former candidate for governor.
- Frank Thorp V and Leigh Ann Caldwell
