Category Archives: District 47

District 47, Prince George's

D47A Delegate Race Rating

D47

This dual member district is home to what’s shaping up to be a bloody primary in this district home to several Prince George’s municipalities, including Bladensburg, Brentwood, Cheverly, Colmar Manor and Mt. Rainier. Mt. Rainier City Councilman and Communications Workers of America (CWA) national bigwig Jimmy Tarlau faces 2010 Candidate Diana Fennell. Fennell, an African American, has demographics on her side.

Jimmy Tarlau combines a national profile in the labor community with local roots. He’s out raised Fennell by a wide margin as well. I suspect CWA will play in this race with independent expenditures. Fennell is on incumbent Sen. Victor Ramirez’s ticket, but I think Tarlau can pull it off. Michael Summers, although a weak fundraiser, is safe.

Rating: Safe Summers, Lean Tarlau

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District 47, Prince George's

Ramirez Heavily Favored in D47

D47

Most of Prince George’s District 47

District 47 is a majority black district in Northeast Prince George’s County with an exploding Latino population. As of the 2010 Census, the voting-age population of the district was 50% African American and 37% Latino. Subdistrict 47A (two delegates) was 62% black while subdistrict 47B (one delegate) was 61% Latino.

Two-term Del. Victor Ramirez ousted corrupt African-American Sen. David Harrington to become Maryland’s first Latino State Senator in 2010. Now, Ramirez faces long-time Bladensburg Mayor Walter Lee James. Ramirez has money ($122K while James hasn’t filed a financial report) and the power of incumbency.

James has a strong base in Bladensburg that he’ll need to turn out in large numbers to overcome what are sure to be extraordinarily high percentages for Ramirez in Langley Park. But even that seems unlikely to be enough as Bladensburg composes just 7% of D47. James would need to somehow unify and rally African-American voters behind him to defeat Ramirez– very difficult without money against an active and energetic senator like Ramirez.

Rating: Safe Ramirez

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