Donna Edwards Up 40-32

by: Matt Stoller

Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 13:13

A Lake Research Partners (D) poll; conducted 1/29-31; surveyed 400 Dem LVs; margin of error +/- 5% (release, 2/8). Tested: Rep. Al Wynn (D) and '06 candidate/atty Donna Edwards (D).

Primary Election Matchup

	All	10/07	Montgomery	Prince George's
D. Edwards	40%	22%	41%	39%
A. Wynn	32%	42%	24%	37%
	Fav/Unfav
D. Edwards	57%/ 9%
A. Wynn	52 /na

First of all, this is great news.  Donna is up, and Wynn is at a miserable 32 reelect.  The caveat is that Donna's not breaking 50, so the undecideds could swing the race either way.  Turnout is going to be key on Tuesday, and if the voter universe simply explodes, the new voters could alter these results.

It's important to volunteer for the campaign on election day to communicate with these new voters as they come in to the polls.  You can sign up here.

Here's Tom Schaller's column in the Baltimore Sun.

To put it bluntly, Mr. Wynn, an eight-term congressman, is an embarrassment to his Prince George's County-based district, the state and the Democratic Party. And his past - his machine-style bossism, dirty politics and political bullying - is catching up with him.

In 2006, he sent out a flier implying he had won endorsements from some unions that hadn't endorsed him.

That same year, two of his supporters physically harassed one of Ms. Edwards' campaign volunteers.

This cycle, he filmed a political ad fashioned to look like a news reporter had caught him randomly on the street for an interview, when in fact the ad was staged by his campaign.

And then last week, Mr. Wynn, who is a lawyer, filed a completely bogus Federal Election Commission complaint that charges Ms. Edwards with violating election law. As The Sun has reported, the complaint is so slapdash that it doesn't even bother to cite specific election law provisions.

All of these electoral shenanigans are designed to mask Mr. Wynn's real problem: his voting record, which reflects contempt for voters in his district and the opinions of many Marylanders.

He voted in October 2002 for President Bush's Iraq war resolution. In 2004, Mr. Wynn voted for Vice President Dick Cheney's energy proposal, even though every other member of Maryland's House delegation, including both Republicans, voted nay.

He has accepted more than $200,000 in campaign contributions from banks and lending institutions, and, not surprisingly, voted in 2005 for a Bush administration-backed bankruptcy "reform" bill with punitive provisions for working-class borrowers.

That's quite right.