BARACK OBAMA EDGES OUT JOHN EDWARDS IN BALTIMORE-AREA DEMOCRATIC STRAW POLL

[Orangepeel]

Towson, MD – Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) narrowly edged out former Senator John Edwards (D-NC) as the Democratic favorite in central Maryland at the Presidential Primary Forum and Straw Poll hosted by the Central Baltimore County Democratic Club (CBCDC) and the Towson University College Democrats this evening at the Towson University Union.

Obama was the choice of 29% of the voters at the event, while Edwards was selected by 27% in a close race. Rounding out the field were national front runner Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) with 16%, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) with 13%, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson with 9%, Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) with 4%, and former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel with 1%. Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), whose campaign did not send a surrogate to the event, received no votes.

The forum was designed to provide an opportunity for Baltimore-area Democrats to get information about the Democratic candidates for President and make their preferences known through a Straw Poll. “The Maryland primary is so late in the game in the 2008 presidential election cycle that most of the campaigns focus elsewhere,” said event chair Scott Sokol of Towson. “But the CBCDC’s forum at Towson University was a rare opportunity for the presidential campaigns to carry their message to Baltimore, to ascertain what issues are relevant to reliably Democratic voters in central Maryland, and to gauge our reactions to their stands,” said Sokol, the VP-elect of the CBCDC.

Representatives for each candidate, who were selected by the campaigns, answered questions from moderator Art Buist, reporter/announcer for WYPR 88.1 FM, and panelists Andy Rosen, government reporter for The Daily Record and Heather Kangas, co-organizing director of the Towson University College Democrats. Speaking on behalf of the candidates were:

State Senator Jim Brochin for the Obama campaign;
Baltimore attorney Hunter Pruette, former traveling chief of staff for John Edwards for the Edwards campaign;
Meg Ferguson, treasurer of the Baltimore County Democratic Central Committee and board member of the Democratic Women’s PAC of Maryland for the Clinton campaign;
Luis Zapata, Maryland Coordinator for Dennis Kucinich;
Sandra Bisbey, Baltimore volunteer coordinator for Richardson;
Tyler Cymet, D.O., a practicing physican at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore for the Biden campaign; and
Alex Colvin, national Press Secretary for the Gravel campaign


Those who attended the event had the opportunity to submit questions for the speakers, asking about everything from health care plans, to views on education, to how his or her candidate would end the war in Iraq. “All of the representatives did an excellent job,” said Margie Brassil, president of the Central Baltimore County Democratic Club. “A couple of the attendees switched their votes after the forum, and that was enough to make a difference in the outcome.”

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[zazzle]

1. WooHoo! Go Edwards!