Battle for the US Senate Seat in MD: Are Democrats Obliged to Promote Diversity?
Friday, April 22, 2005 at 09:30PM
TheSpook
DSCC
chair Chuck Schumer (D-NY) "has shown a willingness to broker" SEN Dem
primaries, e.g. PA and RI. But "as competitive open-seat primaries
loom" in MD and MN, Schumer and other Dem leaders "may find themselves
under intense pressure to get behind candidates who are favored by some
of the party's most reliable voting blocs. In both cases, the activists
are wondering whether the party will live up to its rhetoric on
diversity by promoting women and minority candidates -- even if these
candidates may not be considered the strongest general-election
nominees." In MD, "some national and state black politicians are
suggesting that the party clear the field" for ex-NAACP pres./ex-Rep.
Kweisi Mfume (D). Mfume said "probably what you are seeing is people who are
very loyal Democrats assuming and believing that the party, to hold on
to its base in the black community, needs to be showing a demonstrable
willingness to do what it can to promote black candidates. ... I
believe in the party, and I hope that the party believes in me." Dem
consultant Donna Brazile said Mfume is the kind of "national superstar"
candidate that Dem have embraced recently like Sens. Hillary Clinton
(D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-IL). Brazile: "This guy can raise money all
over America. These other candidates -- well-intentioned and
well-qualified -- can't possibly rally the kind of national support he
can." But "several political observers believe that Mfume's chances of
winning increase in a multicandidate primary and that he would be the
underdog in a head-to-head race with one white opponent." The Hotline April 11, 2005
Other Black Candidates Want in: Rep. Elijah Cummings (D), who succeeded
Mfume in Congress, has still not ruled out a Senate run, though it is
considered unlikely at this stage. Neither has Prince George's County
States Attorney Glenn Ivey (D), who is also black. And black Members of
Congress may be hesitant to take sides in a primary in which some of
their colleagues, black or white, may be competing. Roll Call April 11,
2005 Monday
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Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
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