海角大神

For Brad, a bus driver for the Maryland Transit Administration, the choice in this week鈥檚 Democratic primary is an unusual and difficult one: Two strong candidates 鈥� one representing undeniable stature and experience but the other giving him the option of casting a vote for greater diversity in the often-insular US Senate.

To this black voter in Baltimore, Rep. Chris Van Hollen has all the hallmarks of a top-tier pick 鈥� a congressman who鈥檚 part of the senior Democratic leadership and has a track record of getting things done. But Rep. Donna Edwards is also a member of Congress, and she brings something else to the table: the life-experience of being an African-American woman.

鈥淚 really like them both,鈥� said Brad (who asked to go by first name only), as he showed up last week to vote early in Maryland鈥檚 April 26 primary. 鈥淚 want to support our sisters and the African-American community, but Van Hollen鈥檚 record stands for itself.鈥�

Moments later, the bus driver exited a voting station in the neighborhood of North Park Heights. Congresswoman Edwards had gotten his vote.

Identity politics is hard at work in the Maryland Democratic primary for the US Senate, and unabashedly so. Edwards, the state鈥檚 first African-American woman elected to Congress, is heavily pushing her personal story as a single mom who knows what it鈥檚 like to be poor and raise a black son. She says she can bring a unique perspective to a chamber that has only two African-Americans and 20 women. Only one other black woman has ever been elected to the Senate.

She鈥檚 the underdog. Representative Van Hollen has a long history in the state's politics.

Yet Edwards鈥檚 narrative is resonating with a good many white voters as well as with African-Americans, and in many ways her bid aligns with the tenor of an election season where one of the overarching messages is one of US voters embracing outsiders over status-quo choices.

Symbolically, too, the Senate slot that鈥檚 opening up is a woman鈥檚 seat. The candidates are vying to replace the retiring Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski 鈥� the longest-serving woman in the Senate, a Baltimorean beloved by Marylanders for her pioneering role and fierce advocacy for her constituents.

With all this making for a high-intensity primary battle, Edwards appears to be connecting with black voters here in Baltimore, where the race will likely be decided.

鈥淪he鈥檚 me! I鈥檓 her! I鈥檓 a single father,鈥� says Michael Johnson, who was also at the early voting site in Baltimore鈥檚 North Park Heights. He can鈥檛 understand why voters are 鈥渟truggling over an African-American of her quality鈥� 鈥� an attorney, a three-term congresswoman, an outspoken progressive, and a dogged community activist.

Both Van Hollen and Edwards represent suburban Washington districts and have campaigned hard in Baltimore. Polls show the statewide contest sharply divided along racial lines, with both candidates viewed favorably by voters. While the race has been close, the most recent poll, by Monmouth University, has Van Hollen ahead by 16 points 鈥� with 11 percent of voters still undecided.

In that poll, Von Hollen has a large lead among white voters (73 percent to 16 percent), while Edwards leads among African Americans (62 percent to 26 percent). In 2008, black voters accounted for 37 percent of Democratic primary voters in Maryland. Early voting has been robust, especially in Baltimore, with an open mayoral race a year after the death of Freddie Gray in police custody caused riots in the city. High turnout for the mayor鈥檚 race could help Edwards, says Jennifer Duffy, of the independent Cook Political Report.

Adding to the intrigue: This isn鈥檛 much about which candidate looks more electable in the fall. Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 2-to-1 in Maryland.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e able to consider diversity and inclusion鈥� without having to be concerned about who is most electable, says Jennifer Lawless, director of the Women and Politics Institute at American University in Washington.

'Someone who can be a Mikulski'

For not a few voters, the fact that a woman has long held the seat may make a difference. Small in stature but a towering figure, Senator Mikulski was one of only two women in the Senate when she arrived after the 1986 election. She leads a regular bipartisan luncheon for female senators 鈥� one of the few forums on the Hill where members of both parties privately come together.

But this can cut two ways. She鈥檚 a woman, but she鈥檚 also got a reputation as unusually effective 鈥� in roles that include rising to be top Democrat on the powerful Appropriations Committee in recent years.

Asked for her perspective on the Maryland race, Mikulski friend Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) of California answers that 鈥渢he most important thing is someone who can be like a Mikulski,鈥� adding that 鈥渨hen God made Barbara, he broke the mold. There aren鈥檛 many.鈥�

When Senator Feinstein touts Mikulski鈥檚 鈥渆ffectiveness,鈥� she鈥檚 making a case that many Maryland voters see as an argument for Van Hollen.

Here in Baltimore, at a recent early-voting event for Van Hollen by the Service Employees International Union Local 1199, several African-Americans pointed to the congressman鈥檚 record as the reason for their support.

鈥淗e鈥檚 done a better job鈥� than Edwards, says James Ray, sporting a purple union cap. Being an African-American is not the primary thing, he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about who is going to help us get sick pay, who鈥檚 going to make sure kids get the right schooling.鈥�

(Van Hollen ran on education when he first entered state politics and led a successful effort to increase funding for Maryland schools.)

In Silver Spring, a Washington-area suburb that鈥檚 in Van Hollen鈥檚 district, Monica Peterschmidt says that while she would like to vote for a woman, 鈥渋f you vote for a symbolic candidate, you get a symbolic result.鈥� She knows Van Hollen from her years of working in state government and likes the way he reaches across the aisle to seek compromise.

Her husband, Peter Ettinger, chimes in that he once had a passport emergency and when he called Edwards鈥檚 office 鈥� Silver Spring used to be in her district 鈥� he got no help. So he called Van Hollen鈥檚 office and the problem was solved in an hour.

Van Hollen touts that record of constituent service, while pointing to complaints of from Edwards鈥檚 constituents that she's not very responsive. Recently, 100 African-American women community leaders in Maryland endorsed him 鈥� including from Edwards's own backyard in Prince Georges County.

鈥淎t the end of the day, people of all races and all backgrounds and both genders want somebody who is on the ground delivering results that make a meaningful difference in their lives, and that鈥檚 what I鈥檝e done,鈥� says Van Hollen in an interview.

The son of a diplomat with 12 years in the Maryland state legislature and 14 years as a congressman, he is a legislator鈥檚 legislator. He has been a key player in budget negotiations. He helped write the Affordable Care Act, and the economic stimulus package to counter the great recession of 2007-2009.

A single mom with a powerful story

Edwards disputes the critique that鈥檚 she鈥檚 unresponsive to constituents, saying that 鈥渘o other member of Congress鈥� offers a job fair, college fair, housing foreclosure prevention forums, and programs for women-owned businesses.

Before she got to Congress, Edwards co-founded the National Network to End Domestic Violence and pushed to pass the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. She is backed by Emily鈥檚 List, which supports pro-choice Democratic women candidates. But the political action committee of the Congressional Black Caucus has not endorsed her.

Appearing at the North Park Heights early voting station last week, Edwards said in an interview that people are rallying around the 鈥減erspective鈥� she would bring to the Senate 鈥� as a strong progressive, fighting for the interests of working people, 鈥渇rom the single moms, to those of us who have raised young African-American men in a complicated environment.鈥�

At a recent Democratic antipoverty hearing, she explained how she used to ride her bike to take her son to day care, take the bike to the bus, the bus to work, and then get fined late fees if she was delayed in picking up her son. By the end of the week, those fees could mean the difference between groceries or not.

At the Baltimore voting station, Edwards has an enthusiastic admirer just a few feet down the sidewalk in Sharon Middleton, a Baltimore councilwoman who represents the district of Park Heights, which she describes as a 鈥渄istressed鈥� neighborhood.

鈥淚 know Van Hollen has a wonderful record but he鈥檚 a different personality 鈥� 2016 is a time of change,鈥� says Ms. Middleton, who is leaning toward Edwards. She likes Edwards鈥檚 ability to connect with the needs of voters and strongly backs sending a woman to the Senate.

鈥淪peaking as a female in elected office, many times I feel it鈥檚 a man鈥檚 business,鈥� Middleton says. Edwards may not have the r茅sum茅 of her competitor, 鈥渂ut people learn and improve as they move on.鈥�