Incumbent Rep. Al Wynn, defeated by netroots heroine Donna Edwards in the February Democratic primary, will resign his seat in June:
Rep. Al Wynn (D-Md.), who lost the Democratic primary to challenger Donna Edwards, is leaving the House in June to join a law firm, according to Democratic aides. Wynn will be making an official announcement today.
In a gesture of solidarity with Edwards, Wynn magnanimously endorsed his former opponent for a full term, and hoped that his early departure would allow Edwards to build up her seniority in the House:
Wynn claimed that his departure will allow Edwards, who was heavily favored in the November general election, to win a special election to fill his seat and thus go before voters on Election Day as an incumbent. […]
“My leaving early will also allow our Democratic nominee Donna Edwards the opportunity to successfully navigate a special election and be sworn in this summer. This will not only give her seniority in the incoming congressional class of ’09, but more importantly, will allow her to get off to a fast start in serving the citizens of our community. I offer her my best wishes and stand ready to assist in any way possible.”
It’s unclear if or when Gov. Martin O’Malley will call a special election, but we’ll keep you posted.
but is a special election really worth it? I mean the time and money involved is kind of crazy. Plus, with the House ending early (due to the elections), the seat wouldn’t be open for that long.
that requires a certain amount of time pass between a resignation and a special election…like could O’Malley call it in June?
I do give him full credit for that.
But then of course, if he’s gonna be a lobbyist, he’ll be more effective if he’s on speaking terms with all the Members, even the one who knocked him out of the office!
Liebersuck would have followed suit in 2006, Ned Lamont would’ve been representing CT.
Oh well, Wynn deserves credit for making an exit as such.
Go Edwards!!
At the present time, if a special election is held, she would outrank at least 32 others, even if no incumbent is defeated in November.
In the beginning, the major benefit of seniority to Edwards is that she will get a nicer suite of offices, since office space is assigned strictly on the basis of seniority. She and others elected since November 2006 would get to choose before the lottery is held for the members of the class of 2009. Otherwise, it takes a couple of terms before seniority makes a difference in the House. Personal relationships are much more important. If she gets a choice initial committee assignment, chalk it up to Hoyer and/or Van Hollen rather than a few extra months of seniority.
Gov O’Malley should call a special soon. It’s worth it. because it’s never right for the constituents to be without a Representative for long, and six months is 1/4 of the two-year term!
We should be especially sensitive about denying voters their say. The way the Repubs and their Democratic allies in FL and MI made a mess of things doesn’t make us look good. Then skipping an election in MD and letting the citizens go without a voice in Congress would only add to the bad impression.
And Donna Edwards is the epitome of a “better Democrat” from the push for “more and better Democrats.” We need her in the House, the Democratic Caucus, and the Cong. Black Caucus to put her vote and her influence to work a.s.a.p. A few months on-the-job training before January would increase her influence in that next Congress — along with the extra seniority from the head start.
Finally, having Donna Edwards go around as “the Democratic nominee and expected winner” rather than “the Congresswoman from Maryland” diminishes her — and slights her constituents.
Gov. O’Malley is looking at the possibility of special legislation to make it possible to hold a special election without holding a special primary first, thus getting Edwards into office sooner.