Wynn Appears Headed To Defeat

Rep. Albert Wynn (D-Md.) is losing overwhelmingly to non-profit executive Donna Edwards in tonight’s primary, and appears to be the first incumbent headed to defeat this election cycle.

With 39 percent of precincts reporting, Edwards leads Wynn by a 23-point margin – 59 to 36 percent.

The likely defeat of the 8-term congressman can be attributed squarely to ideology.

Edwards’ progressive profile – she has been an activist for various liberal causes – played very well among the affluent, well-educated white Democrats in Montgomery County. She is overwhelmingly carrying the county – by an even larger margin than her 25-point victory over Wynn in Montgomery County in 2006.

But even more impressively, she is defeating Wynn in his home base of Prince George’s County by a 12-point margin, suggesting that Edwards’ criticism of his ties to corporate interests and his initial support for the Iraq war resonated throughout the district.

Edwards and her campaign’s allies – including the SEIU, the League of Conservation Voters and EMILY’s List – swarmed the airwaves with anti-Wynn messages, spending over $1 million combined in their advertising blitz.

Meanwhile, Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-Md.) is locked in a hotly-contested primary against conservative state senator Andrew Harris, with the race too close-to-call at this point. With 53 percent of the vote counted, Harris is leading Gilchrest 39 to 36 percent.