Donna Edwards to Be First Black Woman Representing Maryland

Edwards Wins Election to Congress
Democrat to Be First Black Woman Representing Md.

By Rosalind S. Helderman and James Hohmann
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, June 18, 2008; B01

Democrat Donna F. Edwards was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives by voters in Montgomery and Prince George's counties yesterday, becoming the first black woman selected to serve Maryland in Congress.

Edwards, 49, a lawyer and nonprofit executive from Fort Washington, defeated Republican Peter James and Libertarian Thibeaux Lincecum in a contest marked by exceptionally low turnout at the polls. Edwards will replace eight-term Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D), whom she defeated in a primary election in February.

"We're going to go in and just get to work," she told a crowd of about 100 supporters last night at a victory party in Lanham, including House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) "I'm going to move in quickly, as soon as they give me the keys."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/17/AR2008061702762_pf.html