Mixed news out of Maryland today courtesy of PPP:
Chris Van Hollen has the upper hand in the US Senate race as it heads into the final week, getting 42% in the primary to 33% for Donna Edwards. With 25% of voters undecided, things are still relatively up in the air. The key for Van Hollen is that he's actually winning white voters (58/16) by an ever wider margin than Edwards (57/19) is winning black voters by. Van Hollen has a wide lead among men (48/31) but is more surprisingly also slightly ahead with women (37/34). Regardless of which candidate advances to the general election it should be an easy hold for Democrats. Van Hollen leads Republican Kathy Szeliga by 28 at 53/25, and Edwards leads her by 20 at 46/26. Whoever's elected, they'll have big shoes to fill. Barbara Mikulski is leaving office as one of the most popular Senators in the country, with a 58/26 approval spread. Maryland in general has a popular Senate delegation- Ben Cardin can't match Mikulski but his 47/25 approval spread is still well above the median for Senators these days.
Democracy for America has been stepping up their efforts to get out the vote for Edwards:
Do you think we should even consider cutting Social Security or Medicare? I sure don't. Chris Van Hollen, a candidate in next week's Democratic primary for the open U.S. Senate seat in Maryland, was willing to consider those cuts. In 2012, during negotiations over the "fiscal cliff," Van Hollen said that the Simpson-Bowles plan that would have made big cuts to Social Security benefits was "the right way to go." Progressives, including DFA members like you, fought back hard against efforts by corporate-friendly Democrats to cut Social Security and Medicare. And as it turned out, the "fiscal cliff" was averted without cutting either of those programs. Chris Van Hollen is now attacking his opponent in the Maryland Senate race, progressive champion and Congresswoman Donna Edwards. He says she doesn't compromise enough. But here's the truth: Donna Edwards knows the difference between working with colleagues to get the job done, and giving away our core values. That's why Donna Edwards refused to ever consider cutting Social Security and Medicare. Unlike her opponent, she won't take money from Wall Street banks. It’s why she spoke out when Chris Van Hollen cut a sweetheart deal for the NRA and their gun industry lobbyists that might have made it easier for them to hide their role in stopping gun violence legislation. Now we need to stand up for her. This is a battle for the soul of the Democratic Party -- and for the future of our country. Election Day in this critical campaign is next Tuesday. There's no time to lose. Chip in $3 or more to help elect Donna Edwards to the Senate! Donna Edwards has been a progressive champion ever since DFA members like you helped her pull off an upset victory in 2008. If she wins this race, she will be only the second Black woman to ever serve in the Senate. Donna Edwards has led the fight to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and get corporate money out of politics. She wants to expand Social Security and Medicare, rather than cut it. She's led the fight for clean water and resisted Republican attempts to deny the science that proves global warming is real. Those are just some of the reasons DFA strongly backs Donna Edwards. But they're also reasons why she's facing a barrage of attack ads from Van Hollen and his allies, making misleading and inaccurate claims about her and her record. The last thing our country needs right now are more Senators who will compromise our values. Will you help us fight back against these attacks? Chip in $3 or more and send Donna Edwards to the Senate. Thank you for standing with a progressive leader. - Charles Charles Chamberlain, Executive Director Democracy for America
Click here to donate to Edwards’ campaign to help get out the vote.
