What is the racial breakdown of Democrats in the district?

Could write a book on md machine politics. And, btw, special interest groups rule in MD. I'll look out for you at some dc area event in the future.

Thanks for mentioning my piece on Donna's campaign, Matt. Since I put it up and started an ACT BLUE Page for her, over $3,000 in small donations have come in from people who are sick and tired of Al Wynn's pussy-footing with Big Business and the reactionary Republican agenda. If ever there was a candidate well suited for a combined netroots nod, Donna is the one.

Matt also juxtosupposed Marcy Winograd's campaign with Donna's. A day or two after Marcy gave Wynn-like Democrat Jane Harman a bit of a scare, I called Marcy to see if I could get some advise for Donna. Over and above the obvious similarities-- like offering progressive Democrats in a blue district the choice between a real champion for consumers and working people and a shill for corporate interests/self-interest-- I agree that Donna (and Lamont) can succeed because they both tap into a mainstream vein of overall discontent with out-of-touch self-entitled hacks.

It's Independence Day weekend, in the midst of a seriously rough patch for American Democracy-- fingers crossed that it is just a patch-- and this is a good time to think about candidates like Donna Edwards and Ned Lamont and others like them and what you, as a concerned citizen, enlightened enough to be reading Matt Stoller on MyDD, can do to help us all get through the... rough patch. More candidates like Donna and Ned? Glad you asked! Give them a hand this weekend.

The district has much of the same problem as most of Maryland's districts - the gerrymandering is wild. It is not as bad as MD-3, where I live in Reisterstown NW of Baltimore, extending 40+ miles to Annapolis, Columbia, and East Baltimore in some sort of Hindu goddess- or M.C. Escher-shaped amoeba. But MD-4 is still jagged; you can see it here.

District 4 looks like two districts joined with a piece of tape, and that's what it is.  Olney and Germantown are car-suburban and, to some extent, farming areas in a mostly white-liberal county, while the lower chunk and the "neck" in the middle are mostly African-American.  Up against the DC line, it is higher density, poorer, whereas to the easternmost boundary lie some of the wealthiest communities of people of African descent on the continent, perhaps the world.  Lake Arbor, Mitchellville, lots of coin, much of it owned by employees of the 2nd government (attorneys such as Lt. Gov. Michael Steele of tree-lined Cheverly), 3rd government (lobbyist/advocates) and 4th government (gov't contractors of every flavor, blue and white collar both.)

Wegman's upscale gourmet grocery is about to enter PG County, a source of pride for the large local middle and upper-middle class long frustrated at traveling to Montgomery County to the NW for upscale shopping.  These are the folks  who became so justifiably outraged at the "soul food and riots" portrayal of Hyattsville, MD in ABC's Commander-in-Chief show recently.  This is a complicated district, not automatically sympathetic to every liberal progressive agenda, but one with its own overlooked heritage, values and economics.  It may be more sympathetic to someone like Wynn - a corporatist, business-friendly black Democrat - than progressives may wish to hope.  On the other hand, the district is at heart blue, no Republican can possibly win it.  Michael Steele will probably not take even his own Cheverly precinct.

I heard Ms. Edwards speak at a PDA meeting in Rockville in May.  She was very impressive.  I sort of wish I was in her district, so I could help vote out Al Wynn.

My power went out for a day, so I didn't get a chance to comment on 'Maryland Moment,' a Washington Post blog dedicated to MD politics. They have someone hanging out at Annapolis, so they are quick to the punch. In fact, they called Kristen Cox as Ehrlich's selection June 1st.