Join the "Healthcare NOT Warfare" campaign!
PDA 2006 Election Video
» 56K modem
» broadband
Stop Funding War Video
» All
formats
Click here for the Congressional Schedule
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, February 08, 2008
Washington, DC
PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, MD, FEBRUARY 8, 2008--It's not unusual for a famous face to endorse a candidate for President, but for Mimi Kennedy--known to millions as "Dharma's Mom"--politics is very personal. Kennedy will be working for Donna Edwards from Saturday, February 9 through the Primary Election on Tuesday, February 12. Donna Edwards is challenging long-time incumbent Albert Wynn Jr. for Maryland's 4th Congressional District Seat in a hotly contested rematch. Edwards fell just 2% short of beating Wynn in 2006.
Kennedy is unequivocal in her support saying, "As National Chair of Progressive Democrats of America, I have the privilege of flying to Maryland to stand with the brilliant Donna Edwards in her final push
towards victory in challenging inside-the-beltway corporate Democrat incumbent Al Wynn. In doing so, I join Jim Dean of Democracy for America and Gloria Totten of Progressive Majority. Donna is a hope for us all."
After arriving from California late Friday night, Kennedy will pitch in early on Saturday. From 9 AM to 3 PM , Kennedy will ride with other PDA National leaders and the Edwards Campaign on a "Caravan" through Prince Georges County. Kennedy and the other riders will make stops at Fort Washington, Oxon Hill, Marlow Heights, Forestville, District Heights, Largo / Kettering, finally arriving at 4301 Garden City Drive in Landover. There, a second "Caravan" from Montgomery County carrying other PDA leaders and JimDean (brother of DNC Chair Howard Dean) will join Kim Gandy of the National Organization for Women, Montgomery County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin, and speakers from the SEIU and UFCW unions
in a rally to support Edwards.
Sunday morning, Mimi Kennedy will accompany Donna Edwards to area churches, and then meet with voters in Prince Georges County throughout the day. Monday morning, Kennedy and Edwards will greet commuters at area Metro stops in Prince Georges County. Then attention will shift to Montgomery County, as Kennedy will campaign in Silver Spring. Tuesday, the day of the Primary, Kennedy will tour polling places and work to get out the vote for Edwards. This district is predominantly Democratic, so
whoever wins Tuesday's primary will be the overwhelming favorite in the November General Election.
Kennedy explains how important this contest is to her and all Democrats, "Donna embodies PDA's foundational goal: to restore the soul of the Democratic Party by restoring the progressive agenda to our government. Her opponent embodies the long, sad history of those Democratic Party leaders who have sunk to sustaining their own careers at the expense of their constituents by allowing lobbyists to fill their campaign coffers with a tacit understanding of quid pro quos that are in total opposition to what most Democrats perceive as the party agenda."
Kennedy understands what this primary means to voters in Maryland's 4th, "In a district with one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation, Al Wynn supported all manner of bank deregulation, including the Bankruptcy Bill. In a district whose population desperately needs health care, he supports the toxic nuclear power industry. His Johnny-come-lately turn to sponsorship of some progressive legislation is pale pandering compared to the leadership and judgment Donna Edwards will bring to her constituents and to Congress!"
Kennedy, an actor and activist, was a charter member of Artists United to Win Without War. She continually champions human rights, environmental and labor issues, and made herself an expert on voting rights. Kennedy has appeared widely on TV, on Broadway, and in movies including “Erin Brockovich” and “Pump Up The Volume.” Her mid-life memoir was titled, “Taken to the Stage: The Education of an Actress."
Contact: Diane Shamis, National Field Coordinator PDA, 845-661-3754 / diane@pdamerica.org
Mike Hersh, Maryland State Coordinator PDA 301-933-7169 / 240-483-3191 / mike@pdamerica.org
-END-
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Laura Bonham, PDA Communications Coordinator
Phone: 435-336-2123
Tim Carpenter, Executive Director
Toll Free: 877-239-2093
