Van Hollen, Brown, Hoyer win federal races

(Originally published in the Prince George's Sentinel, Vol. 84 No. 44 [Nov. 17, 2016] pages 1 + 4) - by Emily Blackner -

SILVER SPRING – Although Republican Donald Trump carried the night nationally to become president-elect, in Maryland and especially Prince George’s County, Democrats won federal races decisively.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen has secured the open Senate seat left by the retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski. In the House of Representatives race, former Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown redeemed himself from his 2014 gubernatorial loss to Larry Hogan to win the 4th District seat, while long-time Rep. Steny Hoyer won another two-year term representing the 5th District.

Maryland also supported Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, for president. She carried the state with 59.6 percent of the vote and Prince George’s County by 88.4 percent.

Voters on Election Day expressed a range of reasons for supporting Clinton, from enthusiasm to resignation.

A voter in Glenn Dale who gave her name as Sundee said, “I support Hillary Clinton all the way. There is only one option today.”

In Bowie, voter Brian J. said, “I came out for the presidential race and voted Clinton. She’s the lesser of two evils.” Van Hollen, Brown, Hoyer and other Democratic officials and supporters gathered at the Tommy Douglas Conference Center (formerly the National Labor College campus) in Silver Spring for a victory party last Tuesday night, where each expressed gratitude for their volunteers and voters.

Brown said this cycle’s campaign staff was “the best he ever had,” and though “small but mighty,” their hard work enabled him to come back from his gubernatorial loss.

“My father taught me a very important lesson as a young boy, the same lesson that I try to teach my children. He said, ‘Anthony, son, every so often in life, you’re going to have successes. And every so often in life you’re going to have setbacks,’” Brown said in his victory speech. “But he said, ‘The true test is whether you get up.’ And if you believe in what you do, you get up and you get back to it.”

Brown earned 73.9 percent of the vote across the entire 4th District, which also includes part of Anne Arundel County, but a crushing 90.1 percent in Prince George’s County.

He defeated Republican George McDermott, who garnered 21.7 percent of the total vote, Libertarian Benjamin Krause with 1.8 percent and Green Party nominee Kamesha Clark, who won 2.5 percent.

Brown will join Hoyer- the current House Minority Whip- as part of Maryland’s Congressional delegation, which includes all men for the first time since 1987.

Hoyer credited his victory to his voters and his record as a legislator.

“I am honored to have received the support of my neighbors to continue serving them in the U.S. House of Representatives. I am proud of what I’ve accomplished on behalf of my constituents throughout my career,” he said in a statement. “But there is still a great deal of work to be done.”

Hoyer garnered 67.2 percent of the vote. Challengers Mark Arness (R) and Jason Summers (Libertarian) got 29.6 and 3 percent, respectively.

Turning to the Senate, the general election race was not as hard-fought as the primary, which pitted Van Hollen against Prince George’s County Rep. Donna Edwards (whose seat Brown won Tuesday). But the county came around and ended up supporting Van Hollen in a big way; he earned nearly ten times more votes (315,929 to 32,075) than challenger Del. Kathy Szeliga, a Republican from Baltimore County.

State-wide, Van Hollen earned 60.3 percent of the vote to Szeliga’s 36.3 percent, with Green Party candidate Margaret Flowers pulling in 3.2 percent.

Van Hollen thanked his supporters Tuesday night shortly before 10:30 p.m.

“I am truly humbled, and it is time for all of us to get to work. I am very blessed to be here this evening,” he said. “I want to thank you for making me your partner in change in the United States Senate.”

He said this election was an important one, because it was about values and what the country should be like.

“In this election, we have had the character of America at stake,” he said. “I want to thank you for uniting behind a common purpose of trying to make sure every Marylander, every American, is treated with dignity, and treated with respect, and has the opportunity to have a fair shake in the United States of America.”

Van Hollen said his priorities in the Senate would be protecting the Chesapeake Bay, battling climate change, improving education and building up the economy.

Brown said his focus would be similar in the 115th Congress.

“I believe in the work we need to do to provide good schools and safe neighborhoods, and jobs and opportunities,” he said. “I’m grateful that the voters gave me an opportunity to get back to it.”

For his part, Hoyer said he will continue working on his Make It In America plan and supporting federal employees in his new term.

“I will keep working to ensure our federal employees receive fair pay and benefits. I will continue to stand up for our military installations across the district,” he said in a statement. “I will keep fighting to make a quality education at all levels affordable and accessible to everyone. And I will keep pushing for equal pay for equal work and a higher minimum wage.”

County voters give approval of Question D, other ballot measures

(Originally published in the Prince George's Sentinel, Vol. 84 No. 44 [Nov. 17, 2016] pages 1 + 3)
-By Emily Blackner -

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY – In an election where many voters nationwide rejected the political elites, Prince George’s County voters largely approved the ballot measures put forth by their political leaders.

All seven of the county ballot measures- including bonds to pay for various county projects- passed with decisive margins. The closest contest was Question D, a proposal favored by county council members, the county executive and other business and political leaders that would add two new, at-large members to the council. With early voting and Election Day totals in, Question D garnered 214,700 votes, or 66.1 percent.

The next-closest ballot question was Question F, which had 71.2 percent of voters in favor. That question dealt with bonds for various renovation and improvement projects for county buildings. The other county bond measures, Questions A, B, C and E, all passed with 82 percent or more of the vote. Voters also supported Question G, a provision to provide for the legislative and executive branches to each seek outside council, rather than use the county attorney, in the event of a conflict between them. That measure passed with 85.3 percent of the vote.

State Question 1, which stipulates that in the event the attorney general or comptroller resigns from the post, the governor must choose a replacement from the same political party as the outgoing officeholder, passed by 72.5 percent of the vote statewide and 81.3 percent in Prince George’s.

The closeness of the Question D vote in comparison to the others may be attributable to the strong citizen campaigns mounted on both sides of the issue. “No on Question D” and “ReCharge At-Large,” the pro-Question D group, each organized events and printed flyers to attempt to inform citizens and make the case for their argument.

Proponents of the measure said the new members would allow more representative and responsive county government, as well as help attract economic development projects to the county.

County Executive Rushern Baker III supported the measure, and greeted the news of its passage warmly on Election Night. Baker spokesman Scott Peterson said, “County Executive Baker is pleased that Question D was supported overwhelmingly by Prince Georgians.

Two at-large council members will assist the progress of Prince George’s County and create a better and more responsive government.”

But Tamara Davis Brown with “No on Question D” said she was disappointed in the results.

“I know we had an impact and I know we educated some voters, but we just weren’t good enough,” she said.

Opponents like her objected to the measure because of the additional cost- over $1 million annually by 2020- as well as what they perceived as the self-serving nature of the proposal, since it would allow current, sitting councilmembers to potentially double their term limits from two to four terms.

Davis Brown said she believed a major reason for Question D prevailing was the sample ballots distributed by various campaigns. While the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee officially took no position, many felt the sample ballots- with titles such as “Democratic Sample Ballot 2016”- confused voters on that fact.

“I really think the sample ballot was the driving force,” Davis Brown said. “They were heavily distributed by the sitting judges who were hoping to be elected, certainly during early voting and at the top 100 polls on Election Day. Voters, unfortunately, rely on these as gospel.”

She also said the question’s position in the midst of the bond measures made it more likely to pass, since in her experience county voters “generally” approve those.

Voters leaving the polls Tuesday expressed their own reasons for both supporting and opposing Question D.

“I am somebody who likes change,” said Florence Ngundam of Bowie. “I think changes are good.”

Brain J., another Bowie voter, also supported Question D.

“I think the more the better. There will be more input into decision making,” he said.

A voter in Glenn Dale who identified himself only as Jose said he was against Question D.

“It’s just more government,” Jose said. “It’s just putting two more people there to do nothing for the county. This is just for their political careers.”

Davis Brown said the ”No on Question D” group plans to meet soon to discuss next steps, if any.

And Larry Stafford, executive director of Progressive Maryland, a grassroots organizing organization that strongly opposed Question D, said his group will be looking to recruit candidates to fill the two new at-large seats.

“We’ll be running progressive candidates for these new seats who have the heart of the people in mind,” he said.