FIFTY50 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER CELEBRATES Fifty Years of News Excellence; 50 Years of Service
Online Colleges Flunk Common Sense See Page 35 •
C e l e b r a t i n g 5 0 Ye a r s o f S e r v i c e
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Serving More Than 50,000 African American Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area / Vol. 50, No.4 Nov 6 - Nov 12, 2014
Hogan Upsets Brown in Maryland Gubernatorial Stunner State Passes on Electing First AfricanAmerican Governor By Avis Thomas-Lester WI Editor-at-Large Republican businessman Larry Hogan defeated Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown in the Maryland governor’s race Nov. 4, ending, at least for now, Brown’s quest to become the state’s first African-American chief executive. Hogan, who was raised in Prince George’s County but lives in Anne Arundel, scored with voters by hammering away at his message that a Brown administration would be tantamount to four more years of Gov. Martin O’Malley, whom he claimed taxed many Marylanders into leaving the state. The shocking defeat sets up potential trouble for Hogan in Annapolis, where he faces working with a legislature controlled by Democrats. Brown, who lives in Prince George’s County, failed to connect with voters at a time when Republicans were pushing hard across the country for Democrats to join them in a revolt against President Obama and liberal policies. Some voters complained that Brown didn’t go far enough to separate himself from O’Malley and his campaign failed to outline a specific plan to carry out his agenda to institute education reform and spur job growth. During his concession speech, Brown told the cheering crowd at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center at the University of Maryland, College Park, that he appreciated their effort and support. He seemed to
accept the defeat graciously. With his wife, Karmen, and many of the state’s Democratic leaders standing behind him and his mother and three children also on the stage, Brown told his supporters that he would continue to fight for the issues that he embraced during the campaign. He launched the effort “talking to our friends and neighbors about our shared values and goals – standing up for working families, strengthening our middle class and creating jobs and opportunities for more Marylanders,” he said. “Tonight, we fell short of our goal, but that does not and it cannot diminish the work that every one of you has done in our communities, throughout our state. So thank you.” For his part, Hogan had promised his supporters that he would defeat Brown, despite the Democrat’s larger war chest and the state’s overwhelmingly Democratic voter rolls. “This is the largest mandate for change in Maryland in 63 years,” he said during his victory celebration at the Annapolis Westin after Brown called him to concede. According to statistics from the Maryland Board of Elections, Hogan took 54 percent of the vote to Brown’s 45 percent. The defeat was even more shocking in light of the fact that the national Democratic Party had sent all four of its biggest guns to Maryland to stump for Brown, including President Obama,
Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser thanked her supporters during her victory party at the Howard Theatre in Northwest on Tuesday, Nov. 4. /Photo by Roy Lewis
Bowser Wins D.C. Mayor’s Race By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer@bsalmondc
Muriel Bowser. Democrat. Mayor. After 20 grueling months on See GOVERNOR on Page 9 the campaign trail, Ward 4 Coun-
cil member Muriel Bowser beat back the challenges of independent candidates Carol Schwartz and David Catania. She’ll be the first female mayor in more than 20 years. Bowser’s Nov. 4 election vic-
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tory proved to be one of the few bright spots for Democrats routed by the Republicans who roared back to grab control of the Senate and won a number of
See MAYOR on Page 8 and on DCTV 95 & 96