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Donna Edwards, debate sponsor criticize absent Wynn at first primary showdown |
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By Aaron Blake
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Posted: 09/06/07 07:50 PM [ET] |
GAITHERSBURG, Md. — At the first debate of his 2008 campaign, Rep. Albert Wynn (D-Md.) endured criticism from primary challenger Donna Edwards and even the debate sponsor, but he was not there to defend himself.
Edwards continued to accuse Wynn of not taking the election seriously and joined the sponsoring Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in criticizing his constituent service.
Wynn declined to debate Edwards for much of the 2006 cycle, but he has made a concerted effort to show that he is putting forth more effort this cycle after she nearly beat him in a shockingly close result.
His campaign manager, Lori Sherwood, said that Wynn was absent because Congress is back in session and that he would attend future debates.
His proxy, Prince George’s County Councilman Will Campos, assured that his presence in Wynn’s stead was evidence of the congressman’s renewed sense of obligation to his constituents and the business community.
But Campos was at times unable to speak to Wynn’s agenda and did not respond to Edwards’s criticisms.
In response to a question from the chamber’s chairwoman about Wynn’s lack of active communication with the chamber, Campos acknowledged a “communication gap” and said Wynn’s close call in last year’s primary was “an awakening.”
“Any time you are in a close election, you will wake up and realize some of the things that you need to be doing,” Campos said. “That’s why there’s not an empty seat right here.”
Campos also assured that improving communications would not just be for Wynn’s reelection bid, but for his constituent service going forward.
At that point, Edwards got her first jab in: “With all due respect, I think it is perhaps not fair to ask Mr. Campos to explain why Mr. Wynn’s office has not been available and accessible to members of this chamber and the business community.”
Edwards shot back at Campos when he referred to a joke that questioned how Congress will build a border wall if it deports all the Hispanics whose labor would be needed to build it.
“I’ve come to this forum because I take these issues really seriously and because leadership in the United States Congress requires a degree of seriousness,” Edwards said.
In response to a question from an Edwards supporter about Wynn’s absence, Sherwood said that Wynn would attend several upcoming debates.
She told The Hill before the debate that Wynn would definitely be at a debate in November and another in January.
The primary is set for Feb. 12 — seven months earlier than it was last year because the state moved up its congressional primaries along with its presidential primary. Wynn defeated Edwards 50-46 in 2006.
A third candidate, businessman George Mitchell, also took part in the debate but stayed above the fray.
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