By Rosalind S. Helderman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Residents of Prince George's and Montgomery counties will soon get yet another chance to visit the polls, when Prince George's nonprofit executive Donna F. Edwards (D) faces Peter James (R) in a special election Tuesday to fill the seat of Albert R. Wynn (D), who resigned from Congress on May 31.
Edwards trounced Wynn in the Feb. 12 Democratic primary. That ended Wynn's 15-year tenure as U.S. representative, but it didn't automatically propel Edwards into Congress. It merely gave her the right to face James, who won the Republican primary, in the November election.
It was Wynn's surprise resignation, before the end of his term, that forced the special election. The winner will probably be sworn in within days of the election and will serve out the remainder of Wynn's term. Edwards and James will face each other again in November, to take the seat starting in January.
The 4th Congressional District encompasses parts of Montgomery and Prince George's. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Clinton Supporters Rally Behind Obama
Prominent Prince Georgians who supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) in her presidential campaign are following her lead and announcing their support for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.)
Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D), a former delegate who lives in the county, jointly endorsed Obama with Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) on Saturday, just before Clinton formally told supporters at the National Building Museum that she was suspending her campaign.
"We have been honored and proud to support Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign but now a hard-fought and history-making primary contest with record turnout has come to an end," read a joint release from the state's top two leaders. "We must now come together as a party for the common good of our country's future to address the critical issues facing our nation."
State Sen. James C. Rosapepe (D-Prince George's), who served as an ambassador under President Bill Clinton and was one of Sen. Clinton's most vigorous supporters in the county, said he attended her speech and then headed straight to an Obama event in the county attended by several hundred.
He said that Clinton supporters are disappointed but that he expects issues such as high gas prices, a slowing economy and the foreclosure crisis to persuade many to work hard to get Obama elected.
"There's always a bit of tension in a campaign -- it is a competition. People get excited at Redskins games, too," he said. "But the presidency of the United States is more important than a football game. The majority of people understand this really is about our lives and our futures and our country."
Bowie City Council member Todd M. Turner said he has had to explain his support for Clinton to friends in Prince George's for months, given the overwhelming backing for Obama in the county.
"You had to defend yourself for your selection," said Turner, who had worked for Clinton's 2000 senatorial campaign.
But Turner said he told those friends all along that he would support the party's nominee. That support comes a lot easier, he said, because Clinton has backed Obama the same way she ran her campaign: "very hard, very enthusiastic."
Former county executive Wayne K. Curry, who was selected to be a pledged Clinton delegate at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, told Post reporter Avis Thomas-Lester that he found it "ironic" that "two people who would be natural allies found themselves working as adversaries because of their attractiveness to different parts of the traditional Democratic Party fabric."
"They both fought honorably and respectfully, but it is now time to unify the party and move to November," he said.
Benjamin S. Barnes (D-Prince George's), another delegate pledged to Clinton, said it is too early to decide how he will cast his ballot in Denver.
By suspending but not formally ending her campaign, Clinton has not released her delegates. She is said to want her delegates to vote for her at the convention in recognition of the millions who supported her during the primary.
Barnes said that regardless of his vote at the convention, he is onboard for Obama.
One convention delegate, County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), who has endorsed Clinton and Obama at different times in recent months, recently declared that he could not in good conscience go to the convention and not vote for Obama.
View all comments that have been posted about this article.