House Majority Leader

LANHAM-- Rep.-elect Donna Edwards (D-Fort Washington) addressed a large crowd of supporters during a victory rally at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 26 headquarters in Lanham, this evening.

An upbeat and excited Edwards pledged to "get to work" on a day when she defeated Republican Peter James in a special election to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of Al Wynn.

"We're excited about the victory and Ms. Edwards looks forward to representing the people of Maryland's 4th Congressional District," Edwards' Communications Director Dan Weber told PolitickerMD.com.

U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Mechanicsville) introduced Edwards, saying he was excited to have her as a "colleague."

MITCHELLVILLE--U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Mechanicsville) told PolitickerMD.com Friday that he "absolutely" expects Democrats will unite behind the presidential candidacy of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

"The primary, to some degree, appeared to be tougher than it was," Hoyer said of the contest between Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.).

He explained that African-Americans are the "most loyal" Democratic voting bloc, and referred to women as the "largest" base for the Democrats "in terms of votes."

Hoyer said he was confident that white-collar workers, women, and seniors who supported Clinton would quickly see the "stark differences" between Obama and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), and boldly predicted that "95 percent" of Clinton's supporters will back Obama.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Mechanicsville) endorsed Barack Obama for president today.

Hoyer joins a chorus of Maryland superdelegates who have endorsed Obama since he secured the Democratic nomination Tuesday night.

Sen. Ben Cardin, Reps. John Sarbanes and Chris Van Hollen, state Del. Heather Mizeur, and Democratic National Committee member Bel Leong-Hong have also declared their support for Obama.