Donna Edwards
Rep. Donna Edwards just released the first snapshot of Maryland's Democratic primary for Senate, and the race is tight. In a survey from Global Strategy Group, Edwards has a 42-37 lead on fellow Rep. Chris Van Hollen, and the two have almost identical favorability scores: Edwards earns a 45 percent positive rating while just 9 percent view her negatively; Van Hollen stands at 45-11.
Of course, this is just one campaign's internal poll, but the reaction by Van Hollen's campaign suggests they aren't seeing anything different in their own research:
"Anyone watching this race knows that Chris is building a huge amount of momentum and doing everything right to secure a clear path to victory," Van Hollen campaign spokesman Erik Dorey said in a statement.
Notice the lack of any contradictory claims or data. Given Van Hollen's prominent role as the House Democrats' top messenger on budgetary matters, it's surprising to see him acknowledge he's starting out behind. But Van Hollen does still have a much larger war chest, and he'll be able to up his name recognition once the paid media portion of the campaign gets underway.
That's why Edwards has to be able to compete financially, and that's where Daily Kos comes in. We endorsed Edwards as soon as she entered the race because of her record as both an outspoken progressive and a friend of the netroots, but she needs our help in order to keep the contest close. We'd all like it if money were far less of a factor in politics than it is, but since that's not going to change this election cycle, we can at least offer the next best thing possible: an army of small grassroots donors.
So please contribute $3 today so that Donna Edwards can get her progressive message out.