The labor organization that helped launch the political career of Rep. Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.) is endorsing her primary rival in the race for the U.S. Senate.
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced Thursday it would back Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), withdrawing its support for Edwards, whom it had backed in previous elections. The congresswoman has credited the labor organization with having “put her over the top” in her bid for Congress in 2008, when she defeated an incumbent Democrat to ascend to the House.
With the endorsement, Edwards loses access to a significant funding source that had previously launched ads on her behalf and spent thousands of dollars in past elections for her campaign. She is also losing a robust volunteer network that helped popularize the former community activist’s name.
“We feel like she has turned her back toward labor,” said Ricarra Jones, political organizer for Local 1199, the largest SEIU chapter in Maryland, which has about 9,000 members. “We think that Van Hollen will do a much better job.”
