Howard U. professor drops out of 4th Congressional race
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Version 0 of 1. Howard University professor and education expert Alvin Thornton withdrew from Maryland’s 4th Congressional District primary race earlier this month, leaving five candidates vying for the Democratic Party nomination in the spring to fill the seat of Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards, who is running for the U.S. Senate. Thornton, who is known statewide for his role in helping to change funding formulas for Maryland school systems, said he realized that being a candidate for Congress was not the best way to address the concerns he sees in the district. Thornton withdrew officially Feb. 5, about seven months after he entered the race. He was one of the original activists who lobbied for redistricting that created the majority-minority makeup of the 4th district when U.S. Rep. Albert Wynn (D-Md.) won in 1992. The professor was in a distant fifth place in fundraising behind leading candidates Glenn F. Ivey, a former Prince George’s state’s attorney, state Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk and former Maryland lieutenant governor Anthony G. Brown. Political newcomer Terence Strait and military veteran, Christopher Warren, who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Edwards (D-Md.) in 2014, are also competing for votes in the April 26 primary. |