1199SEIU Caregivers Key Victory Of Progressive Candidate Donna Edwards Over Rep. Albert Wynn in MD
1199SEIU members celebrated Donna Edwards’ Primary election victory over Rep. Al Wynn in Maryland’s 4th congressional district on Tuesday evening. With a margin of victory of almost 25 percentage points, Edwards is on her way to become the first African-American woman from Maryland to serve in Congress.
The union saw the victory as vindication of its criticism of Wynn’s votes so support the Iraq War vote, to repeal the estate tax and his support for a bill that made it more difficult for people to file for bankruptcy.
“Against enormous odds, Donna’s progressive message and voters’ demand for change have broken the political strangle hold Al Wynn has had over this district for 16 years. We have shown that powerful incumbents can be held accountable and defeated. Complacent incumbents would be wise to take these results very seriously,” said 1199 SEIU President George Gresham.
Almost half of Wynn’s campaign contributions came from the political action committees of credit card companies and banks as well as the electric, oil and gas industries. To level the playing field, 1199SEIU invested its organizing resources in a grassroots campaign that successfully brought Edwards’ message to every doorstep in Prince Georges and Montgomery counties. The union sent 12,000 pieces of member mail and organizers spoke to hundreds of members in their institutions. Political activists made over 10,000 phone calls and knocked on over 5,000 doors to get out the vote for Edwards.“I was thrilled to go out there and campaign for Donna. There have been major problems in our community that have gone unaddressed for years including the financial crisis affecting Dimensions Healthcare System,” said Linda Bock, a registered nurse at Brentwood’s Senior Health Center in Prince Georges county. “We look forward to finally having a voice in Congress that supports working families.”
"SEIU played a critical role in my historic victory today. 1199SEIU members and I share common values and goals for our district and our country," said Donna Edwards. "Their support helped ignite our campaign and spread our message of change to voters throughout the 4th Congressional District. I'm proud to have partners like SEIU who are as committed to change as I am and I look forward to working together in Congress to serve the working families of my district and around the country."
“We congratulate Donna on her historic win and we share her excitement and enthusiasm in turning the political page in a district so badly in need of change,” said John Reid, 1199SEIU Executive Vice President for Maryland/DC. “We knew what the odds were but we also knew that something desperately needed to be done about the social and economic problems in the community. Voters have sent a forceful message that the power of long-term incumbency is no longer a firewall, it can be shattered by furious voters fed up with the status quo.”