If anecdotal evidence is any indication, tomorrow's "Potomac Primary" should confirm the nationwide trend of enthusiastic turnout at Democratic primaries and caucuses. Yesterday's festivities in downtown D.C. celebrating the Chinese New Year didn't deter If anecdotal evidence is any indication, tomorrow's "Potomac Primary" should confirm the nationwide trend of enthusiastic turnout at Democratic primaries and caucuses. Yesterday's festivities in downtown D.C. celebrating the Chinese New Year didn't deter Clinton and Obama partisans from showing their support to the throngs gathered in the blocked-off streets. And just this morning a man on the bus I was riding repeatedly implored the other riders to vote tomorrow, citing the importance of the election.
Both Clinton and Obama picked up one additional superdelegate each from Virigina since I last reported, and polling appears to indicate conditions highly favorable to Obama tomorrow, despite analysis to the contrary. But what about Maryland and D.C.? Here's the endorsement breakdown.
U.S. SENATE & HOUSE
Senior Senator Barbara Mikulski has endorsed Hillary Clinton while Junior Senator Ben Cardin has not. Of Maryland's eight House seats (six Dem, two Rep), only three have endorsed, C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger for Clinton; Albert Wynn and Elijah Cummings each for Obama. Donna Edwards, who is running a high-profile campaign against Al Wynn in Maryland's 4th Congressional District, has also endorsed Barack Obama.
STATE OFFICIALS
Governor Martin O'Malley has endorsed Clinton, as have several Maryland DNC representatives. Karen Pope-Onwukwe of the Women for Obama Leadership committee has endorsed, bringing Obama's superdelegate count to three, compared to Hillary Clinton's nine. Recent non-superdelegate endorsements include State House Majority Leader Kumar P. Barve and State's Attorney John McCarthy of Montgomery County for Obama.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Besides non-voting U.S. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (who has not endorsed but is a superdelegate), Washington, D.C. does have a number of superdelegates up for grabs. The vast majority (eleven) have gone for Hillary Clinton, including D.C. Council members Mary Cheh, Jack Evans and Jim Graham, but three superdelegates, including mayor Adrian Fenty, have endorsed Barack Obama. Two are uncommitted.
--Mori Dinauer
