I am profoundly grateful to my friends and neighbors across the 43^rd District for giving me the privilege of serving as your Delegate in Annapolis for the next four years and very proud to be a citizen of Baltimore and of Maryland.

I cannot say enough to thank the hundreds of friends and supporters and contributors whose hard work  did so much to give me the chance to serve. Thank you for knocking on doors, calling your neighbors, putting up signs and contributing your effort and resources to help us build a better Baltimore and a stronger state. I could never have gotten here without your support.

On Election Day on Tuesday, voters across the city braved long lines and ignored ugly phone calls meant to keep city voters at home and came out in huge numbers to support our president, our governor and our 43^rd District Leadership Team of Sen. Joan Carter Conway, Del. Maggie McIntosh, Del. Curt Anderson and myself. Even on a dark day for so many Democrats around the country, Maryland voters strongly endorsed the progressive work Gov. Martin O’Malley, Sen. Barbara Mikulski and the Maryland Democratic Party are doing to improve our schools, revive our economy and expand access to health care in the toughest of times.

In the face setbacks around the country, Maryland now stands out as a beacon of hope for progress and social justice. That makes me prouder than ever of my city and my state and more eager than ever to get to work to represent you in Annapolis.

One of the things I treasured most about our campaign was that it gave me the chance to build relationships with so many of my neighbors in the 43^rd District. I look forward to working even more closely with all of you in Annapolis and here at home to make our city and our state a stronger, fairer and more vibrant home for all of us in the years to come.

In partnership,

Mary L. Washington

“The true Democrat is he [sic] who, with purely nonviolent means, defends his [sic] liberty and, therefore, his country’s and ultimately that of all mankind.”  Mahatma Gandhi

Be a Democrat. Vote

With just hours to go now before the polls open for Election Day on Tuesday, you can still make a difference in this year’s election. I don’t need to tell you how important this election is to protecting the progress we’ve made in Maryland and across the country in recent years.  Pundits keep saying that Democrats will stay home and let Republicans rollback the change we have started to bring to our country.  But that will only happen if we sit on our hands and let it happen. And in Maryland we are turning the tide with a strong Democratic turnout for Early Voting and strong grassroots voter education and outreach efforts.

But we still need your help today and tomorrow canvassing and calling voters to get out the vote and helping our friends and supporters get to the polls on Tuesday. You can help either at our local Democratic campaign headquarters at 3200 Barclay Ave. (across the street from the Waverly Farmer’s Market) or at our GOTV headquarters at 126 W. 25^th St. No need to call ahead, just show up any time you can ready to call, walk or ride to get out the vote.

After the polls close at 8 p.m., I also hope to see many of my friends and supporters  at the Creative Alliance on Tuesday evening. I’ll be on stage that night at about 8:45 p.m. with the wonderful cartoonist KAL as part of the Baltimore Improv Group’s festive and funny  “Election Nite Extravaganza.”  The show starts at 8 p.m. at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson at 3134 Eastern Avenue and will continue for a couple hours.

After appearing at the Creative Alliance, I will join the other Democratic candidates and many of our supporters for a Victory & Watch Party at the American Visionary Art Museum at 800 Key Highway in Baltimore.  We’ll await the statewide returns there until about midnight.

The next day, Wed. Nov. 3, I will discuss the 2010 election results with Marc Steiner on the Marc Steiner Show on WEAA FM-88.9 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

 Please remember that the polls across Maryland will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. tomorrow. If you need help finding your polling place, please call the Baltimore City Board of Elections at 410.678.VOTE. If you or someone you know needs a ride to the polls tomorrow, please call 202.340.7350 or 1.888.678.8683.

Together, we will make a difference.

Mary Washington, Democratic Nominee for the Maryland House of Delegates, 43^rd District.

I am very pleased to see that Early Voting has been a smashing success across Maryland and right here in Baltimore. Over the last week, almost 220,000 Marylanders, more than 140,000 state Democrats and more than 20,000 city residents made their votes count early. And I’m proud to say that more votes were cast at our local Early Voting Center here in the 43^rd District (at Northwood Library) than at any other site in the city.

Defying the doom-saying pundits who keep saying that discouraged Democrats will stay home this year and let Republicans turn back the clock to the dark days of the Bush-Ehrlich era, many more Maryland Democrats came out to vote early than Republicans. But this will still be a close election and the outcome is critical to the future of our city and our state. We need to maintain the kind of enthusiasm we showed at the polls in the last week and make sure we make every vote count on Election Day next Tuesday.

I am eager to get to work with you, with Gov. Martin O’Malley and with my 43^rd District team colleagues, Sen. Joan Carter Conway, Del. Maggie McIntosh and Del. Curt Anderson, to build a better Baltimore with stronger schools, more jobs and more vibrant neighborhoods and to build a state that is more fair and just for all Marylanders.  But I know I’ll be able to do much more for our state and our community if I can work in partnership with an administration in Annapolis that is committed to moving our city and our state forward.

I know Gov. O’Malley is committed to protecting the funding our schools need to continue to do better for Baltimore’s children, to expanding access to health care, to funding better public transportation for city residents and to fairness  and marriage equality for all Marylanders. On the other hand, former Gov. Ehrlich wants to cut funding for our public schools, cut funding for critical public transit projects, rollback health care reform, deny equal treatment of the law to many state residents and protect corporate interests rather than the interests of ordinary Marylanders.

That’s why it’s so important that everyone who didn’t get a chance to vote early gets to the polls next Tuesday to vote for our governor, our Democratic leadership and our 43^rd District Leadership Team.

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Tuesday (Nov. 2). If you need information about where you can vote, please contact the Baltimore City Board of Elections at 410.678.VOTE. If you need assistance getting to the polls, please call our local Democratic campaign office at 443.562.0260 and we’ll be happy to help.

I look forward to seeing you at the polls on Tuesday.

We won a great victory on Tuesday and I want to thank every one of the 8,600 voters and the hundreds of supporters and volunteers who made our victory possible. I will always be grateful for your support, and I am excited about getting to work to build a better Baltimore as your next state Delegate.

One of the most satisfying aspects of our campaign was that it gave me the chance to meet and get to know thousands of my neighbors across our district. As I prepare to take office over the next few months, I want to continue to build those relationships and get to know more about you and about what you want and need from your representatives in Annapolis.

In the weeks to come, I will be visiting public events to talk to you and working to meet my new constituents.

In fact, as part of our 43^rd District team’s effort to serve you better, I will be at the Abell Community Street Fair this Sunday afternoon (Sept. 19) along with Sen. Joan Carter Conway, Del. Maggie McIntosh and Del. Curt Anderson. The fair takes place at 3100 Abell Ave. from Noon to 5 p.m. and will feature a crab feast, a silent auction, live music from some great local bands, a bake sale and the wares of many fine local craftspeople and vendors.

We would be happy to see you at the fair and I would be very pleased to hear about your concerns about our city and about the issues that are most important to you and your family.

I very much look forward to working with all of you in Annapolis and here at home over the next four years.

After spending the weekend talking to voters and working with our many volunteers to prepare everyone to come out to the polls tomorrow, I am very pleased about where our campaign stands and really excited about Election Day. But our work won’t be done until every ballot is cast and counted TOMORROW, September 14th. So we’ll be working to reach voters and prepare volunteers throughout this afternoon and evening and we’ll be out early Tuesday morning to greet the voters when the polls open.

I am grateful for the hard work of our many volunteers but I also know that working the polls all day and getting all our supporters out to vote will be a very big task. So if you can find the time to volunteer at the last minute, we’d still be very pleased to have your help tomorrow.

Please call us at 410.878.1020 or just come by our campaign headquarters at the corner of Barclay Ave. and 32nd St. tomorrow if you can help. You can also call or email us volunteer@electmarywashington to get the location of our Election Night Party.

Please also remember that the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow. If you need help finding your polling place or getting to the polls, just call our campaign office and we’ll be happy to help. You can also find your voting location here:  http://www.mdelections.org/

On Election Day, your vote is your voice. The right to vote and the chance to choose our leaders is a precious matter, and I hope everyone who didn’t get a chance to vote early this year will make his or her voice heard at the ballot box tomorrow. 

Of course, I hope you’ll vote for me and for my colleagues on the 43rd District Leadership Team, Sen. Joan Carter Conway, Del. Curt Anderson and Del. Maggie McIntosh but I also want to applaud the efforts of all my fellow candidates across the State of Maryland who are working hard  to earn your support on Primary Day.

I look forward to seeing you at the polls.

Mary

Baltimore’s influential Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance threw its weight behind our campaign on Friday as the ministers strongly endorsed me and  backed my colleagues on the 43^rd District Leadership Team, Sen. Joan Carter Conway, Del. Curt Anderson and Del. Maggie McIntosh.

I am thrilled to win the support of the leaders of so many congregations across our city and very happy to add the region’s most prominent inter-faith coalition of religious leaders and activists to the many other powerful voices supporting our campaign.

I see the ministers’ support as powerful praise for our campaign’s commitment to rebuilding communities across our city.  Their endorsement also gives our campaign still another big boost as we work to reach every voter we can this weekend and to make sure that every one of our supporters is ready to come out to vote on Tuesday.

We look forward to seeing you at the polls on Sept. 14.

With just days to go before our Sept. 14 primary, I feel more excited than ever about our campaign. I’m thrilled by the support I’ve seen this week from many of the thousands of city residents who came out so enthusiastically to vote early. But I know our race won’t truly be run, and our work won’t be done, until every vote has been cast and every ballot has been counted on Tuesday evening.

In the last week, we’ve won new endorsements from Baltimore’s Afro-American newspaper and from the City Paper. Over the many months of our campaign, we’ve also earned the support of many of the state’s leading progressive voices, labor unions and environmental advocates. We’ve won the backing of leading voices for women’s rights and for civil and marriage equality for all Marylanders.

I am proud of all that support. But what’s more important to me is the relationships that I have built with thousands of my friends and neighbors across the 43^rd District during our campaign. Over the last six months, I’ve knocked on thousands of doors and spent thousands of hours talking to city residents about their concerns and about how we can work together to solve our city’s problems. In the process, I’ve learned a great deal more about our city and about what voters want and need from their state delegates.

Now, I am eager to use that understanding to work hard with you, and with Sen. Joan Carter Conway, Del. Curt Anderson and Del. Maggie McIntosh, to make our schools stronger, build safer and more vibrant neighborhoods all city residents can enjoy, bring new jobs to the city, protect our environment and build a state that is more fair and just for all Marylanders.

But before I can do that, we still have to win this race. That’s why I’m asking today, one last time, for your help in our final push to get our campaign across the finish line.

 I need you to help us call our supporters and make sure they are ready to get out to vote on Tuesday. I need you to help us work the polls on Election Day and help our voters get to their polling sites. And I need your generous contributions so that we can reach every possible voter during our campaign’s final days.

Please call our campaign office at 410.878.1020 or visit our web site to volunteer or to contribute to our campaign.

Here’s a link to our site: Link to campaign site

Together, we can win this race and build a city that works for all of us.

Today, I’m happy to announce that the City Paper has just endorsed our campaign, and has also backed all three of my colleagues in the 43^rd District Leadership team, Sen. Joan Carter Conway, Del. Curt Anderson and Del. Maggie McIntosh.

The City Paper gave my 2006 campaign one of its strongest endorsements, and I’m very pleased to win its support again this year with just days to go now before our Tuesday Sept. 14 primary.

Here’s a link to its endorsement editorial:  Link to City Paper\’s primary endorsements

I also want to remind my friends and supporters that Thursday will be the last day to vote early for this year’s primary.  The city’s early voting sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and, in the 43^rd District, you’ll be able to vote all day at Northwood Library at the corner of Loch Raven Blvd. and Coldspring Lane.

Over the last week, I’ve spent many hours talking to voters at Northwood Library and I’ve really enjoyed meeting hundreds of voters who are eager to come out early to exercise their right to vote and to support our 43rd District Team.

I hope I will see you at the polls on Thursday.

Baltimore’s Afro-American newspaper endorsed our campaign on Friday and also supported all three of my 43^rd District team colleagues, Sen. Joan Carter Conway, Del. Maggie McIntosh and Del. Curt Anderson. I am thrilled that our team has won the support of this venerable journal of Baltimore black community, and here’s a link toThe Afro’s endorsement editorial:

Link to The Afro\’s endorsement editorial

I’m even more excited by the support and energy I’ve seen from 43^rd District voters at the polls as Early Voting has started in recent days.  On Friday, I voted at our District’s Early Voting site at Northwood Library (at the corner of Loch Raven Ave. and Coldspring Lane), where I was joined by more than 500 city voters throughout the first day of early voting.  On Saturday, I met hundreds more voters and supporters taking advantage of the chance to vote early during the holiday weekend. Monday and Tuesday also saw hundreds of voters come to Northwood Library to vote early.

It has been great to meet so many supporters eager to come out early to vote for me and for the District team. I’ve always thought that allowing citizens to vote early would give more citizens a chance to make their voices heard at the ballot box, and it’s exciting to see that so many city voters are so enthusiastic about the chance to exercise their right to vote.

Most of the voters I meet really enjoy the ease and convenience of being able to vote early without having to wait in line to cast their ballot or rush to the polls before or after work.

Early Voting will continue through Thursday Sept. 9. The voting sites will be but open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

I hope you’ll come out and see me at the polls and encourage your friends, neighbors, family members and colleagues to vote early, too.

Today I am very pleased to announce the release of our new campaign video, “Mary Washington for Delegate, The City Where I Live.”  Here’s a link to the video:  Mary Washington campaign video link.

The video allows me to speak directly to my supporters and to the voters of the 43^rd District about my vision for the future of our city and our state. It gives an opportunity to explain what I will do, as your Delegate, to build safer and more vibrant neighborhoods throughout the district, protect our urban environment, bring new jobs to the city, ensure that all our schools are safe and inspiring places to learn and build a community that is fair and welcoming for all city residents.

The film also features testimonials to my work from some of the folks I have worked with in recent years to clean up our city’s open spaces, build stronger schools and help city residents find good, green jobs and from my colleagues in the 43^rd District Leadership Team, Sen. Joan Carter Conway, Del. Curt Anderson and Del. Maggie McIntosh.

I thank all those who offered their support and who worked hard to put together this video. Special thanks go to Brian David Lyles, the local marketing and communications consultant who spent many hours carefully putting the footage and pictures together and building a video that we think offers a fine representation of the vision our campaign offers our city and our state.

I hope you will take a few minutes (10 minutes, actually) to watch the film and to share it with your friends, neighbors, family members, colleagues and social media associates.

And I hope you’ll also remind them to get out to vote for me and for the other members of our 43^rd District Team during the Early Voting that begins today (and runs through Sept. 9) and on Election Day on Sept. 14.