Harry Reid is backing Congressman Chris Van Hollen, above. National Journal discloses that Reid’s move angered retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski, the reason for this primary chaos.
Other candidates than Van Hollen are gaining support. The Washington Post reports that Emily’s List is endorsing Congresswoman Donna Edwards:
Emily’s List said Thursday that it will endorse Rep. Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.) in the race to replace U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski … By endorsing Edwards’s Senate bid, Emily’s List — which backs the candidacies of Democratic women who support abortion rights — is inserting itself in what is likely to be a crowded and competitive primary race.
The plot thickens even more, though. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is also refusing to back Reid’s endorsement of Van Hollen. The Wall Street Journal has the details:
Justin Barasky, DSCC spokesman, said the committee would likely not endorse a candidate in the Maryland primary, which could be joined by a number of other candidates, because leaders are confident that whoever wins the primary will win the general election in such a heavily Democratic state.
Mr. Reid seems less confident, in the wake of Maryland’s surprise election in 2014 of Republican Larry Hogan to be the state’s governor.
This chaotic primary in Maryland isn’t an isolated problem for Democrats. In Ohio and Florida, they are also in the middle of messy primaries.
CNN describes the depth of Democrats’ problems:
While the fields of candidates are still taking shape, a platoon of Democrats are mulling Senate bids in Ohio, Florida, Maryland, California, Pennsylvania and Illinois. While many of them have yet to formally declare campaigns, none possess the kind of field-clearing star power that could help Democrats avoid a primary bonanza, and few show signs of putting their ambitions aside for the sake of party unity.
Bad news for Democrats.
Update 3/30/15 – WBAL Reports that Van Hollen is looking forward to the primary, but Mikulski is still irritated by Reid:
Van Hollen says he looks forward to a spirited Democratic primary.
…Mikulski later criticized Reid saying he was trying to discourage Democratic primaries in order to avoid a split in the party, a Democrats attempt to take back control of the Senate next year.