Maryland 1199ers’ member activism was seen once again during the Get Out the Vote effort for the June 24th primary elections. That activism was expressed by Lanae Jones, a Member Political Organizer (MPO) who at Johns Hopkins Hospital for six years and has expressed interest in one day running for office, who worked at John Hopkins Hospital for six years and has expressed interest in running for office one day said, “We have the power to change things.”1199’s endorsed candidate for Governor, Anthony Brown, won an impressive 51 percent of the vote against four opponents, beating his closest opponent by 2-1. Brown started the race with a large lead and held it throughout the campaign. He faces a well-funded Republican opponent in the fall, and 1199 members will continue to support him through Election Day in November.1199ers also helped to win the Democratic nomination for Brian Frosh for Maryland Attorney General. Frosh won despite polling that had his opponent, State Delegate Jon Cardin in the lead.MPOs also pulled out all stops for several newcomers—all young, progressive African Americans in their races for State Delegate. 1199-endorsed candidates Alonzo Washington and Angela Angel (Prince George’s County), and Cory McCray and Antonio Hayes (Baltimore City) were all victorious. Despite having never run for office before, Washington and Hayes won the most votes in their districts, where voters were asked to choose three candidates.In Baltimore City District 44A, three incumbents were thrown into the same district. 1199- endorsed candidate Keith Haynes won re-election and publically credited 1199SEIU for providing his margin of victory. He chairs the appropriations sub-committee for health care facilities in the House of Delegates.In another group of exciting races, 1199 partnered with SEIU locals to run a slate of delegates in a newly-created District 12 encompassing Baltimore and Howard counties. The new district provided the opportunity to advance more progressive representatives instead of the conservative Democrats that represented the district before. All three 1199SEIU-endorsed candidates--educator Eric Ebersole, Dr. Clarence Lam and Dr. Terry Hill--won.Member activism is the heart of 1199SEIU’s influence in the Maryland/DC region, and dedicated MPOs have had impressive roles in influencing voters to support legislation on marriage equality, the Maryland DREAM Act, and raising Maryland’s minimum wage.- See more at: http://www.1199seiu.org/1199_member_activists_make_a_difference_in_maryland_primary_elections#sthash.gpK0HURn.dpuf