Rep. Donna Edwards formally announced her campaign for Maryland’s open Senate seat Tuesday with a pointed pledge to protect Medicare and Social Security at all costs.
Edwards, who’s preparing for a difficult primary against fellow Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen, said in a two-minute announcement
video that she wouldn’t compromise on the entitlement programs — “no ifs, ands, buts or willing to considers.” It’s a likely preview of the way she’ll hit Van Hollen, who progressives have argued has been open to cutting Social Security because of his support for a federal budget deal like the now-defunct Simpson-Bowles plan.
Van Hollen allies say the line of attack isn’t accurate — and that he’s voted repeatedly to preserve and strengthen both programs. But groups like Democracy for America and MoveOn.org, who claimed credit for drafting Edwards into the race, have highlighted the issue as a potential wedge in the upcoming primary fight.
In her announcement, Edwards promised to be a voice for the middle class.
“I’ve lived the American dream, the middle-class American dream, the one you have to work hard for just to hold on to, the one that’s slipping away for far too many Maryland families,” she says in the clip, filmed at National Harbor in Prince George’s County. She touted her work to keep the National Harbor shoreline accessible to residents, her work to secure investments for historically black colleges and efforts to protect “women’s reproductive rights from tea party attacks.”
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