Anthony Brown to seek House seat in Maryland

Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (D) announced Thursday he’ll run for election to the House in 2016 to replace Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.), who is running for Senate.

“Families in the 4th District have been fortunate to have a leader like Donna Edwards fighting for them every day,” Brown said in an email to supporters. “With your support, I’ll continue that fight.”

Brown had been mentioned as a potential Senate candidate, along with nearly a dozen other Maryland Democrats. But Edwards and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) moved quickly into the field following Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s unexpected announcement that she would retire, squeezing Brown, and potentially a few others, out of the race.

Brown served under former Gov. Martin O’Malley in Annapolis. He ran for governor in 2014 but suffered a stunning defeat in the deep-blue state to Republican Larry Hogan, in what turned out to be a wave election year for the GOP.