O’Donnell calls on Wynn to 'fulfill his obligation' and stay in office

House Minority Leader Anthony J. O’Donnell (R-Lusby) called on Rep. Al Wynn (D-Mitchellville) to “fulfill his obligation” and stay in office through his current term, which is set to expire Jan. 3.

Saying it was “very important” for the residents of Maryland’s Fourth Congressional District to “have representation in the United States House of Representatives,” O’Donnell told PolitickerMD.com that a special election would cost “hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars.”

“I think we should minimize the burden on the citizens of Maryland,” O’Donnell said.

“For that reason, I would like to call publicly on Congressman Wynn to fulfill his obligation to the citizens of Maryland’s Fourth
Congressional District and the state of Maryland, and stay in office through his current elected term so that no additional expenses have to be borne by the taxpayers of Maryland, and that Maryland citizens all continue to have representation in the United States Congress,” O’Donnell said.

On March 27, Wynn announced that he plans to resign his seat in June and join a law firm. The next day, O'Donnell told PolitickerMD.com, “We should do everything we can to fill the vacancy as quickly as possible.”

Last week, Gov. Martin O’Malley said he would ask the General Assembly to bypass a special primary election and hold a special general election to fill the seat. A date for the election has yet to be announced.

In February, Donna Edwards (D-Fort Washington) defeated Wynn in his bid for re-nomination in the heavily Democratic district.