LDC Announces Endorsements in Senatorial, Congressional, School Board Race

Silver Spring, Md. – After a difficult multi-week decision-making process that comprised consideration of 12 incredibly qualified candidates and a general membership vote, the Latino Democratic Club of Montgomery County announces its endorsement of Chris Van Hollen for Senate, Jamie Raskin for Maryland’s 8th congressional district and Sebastian Johnson for the at-large seat of the County school board.

Congressman Chris Van Hollen has been a champion of Latino and immigrant families since his first term in the Maryland General Assembly in 1991. From pushing for stricter state gun control laws to supporting the national DREAM Act to helping to facilitate the process of naturalization for non-citizen residents of Maryland’s 8th congressional district, Congressman Van Hollen has been a steadfast champion of the immigrant community. The Club also recognizes his dedicated staff, who work tirelessly to serve the Latino community in the district. There is no doubt that Congressman Van Hollen will continue his commitment to issues affecting Maryland’s Latino community in the United States Senate.

Senator Jamie Raskin is a proven progressive voice and would be an apt successor to Congressman Chris Van Hollen. Senator Raskin has, time and again, shown his pluck and willingness to join community members and activists in the trenches. A noted constitutional scholar and three-term state senator, his experience and outlook will be a welcome addition to the often-gridlocked United States House of Representatives.

Sebastian Johnson, a former student member of the Board of Education and alumnus of MCPS, would undoubtedly serve the best interests of MCPS students and their parents. A person of color himself, Johnson understands the need to substantively address the widening and ever-disheartening opportunity gap. His experience as a former teacher to mostly first- and second-generation Latinos provides him a rich understanding of the obstacles facing the County’s Latino students. A native of Takoma Park and son of a DC Public Schools teacher, his lived reality is needed at the board table now more than ever.

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