Apr 29, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Kweisi Mfume wins Maryland special election

Kweisi Mfume. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Democrat Kweisi Mfume defeated Republican Kimberly Klacik in a special election to succeed Rep. Elijah Cummings for Maryland's 7th congressional district on Tuesday, per AP.

Why it matters: The seat was left vacant in October by the death of Cummings, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee and one of the most prominent faces of the House Democratic caucus.

  • Tuesday's vote was largely conducted by mail due to the coronavirus, though three in-person voting centers were permitted to open.

The big picture: Mfume was widely expected to defeat Klacik, given that Democrats have a 4-1 voter registration advantage in the Baltimore-encompassing district.

  • Mfume held the seat for five terms prior to Cummings from 1987 to 1996 and served as chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, before leaving Congress to become president of the NAACP.
  • He ran for Senate in 2006 but lost in the Democratic primary to Ben Cardin, the current senior senator from Maryland.

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Increased armed presence planned for D.C. tonight

Demonstrators stand around a fire during a protest near the White House in response to the killing of George Floyd. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Government officials say plans are in place for a significantly heavier armed presence on the streets of Washington, D.C. tonight in response to the increasingly violent protests linked to the death of George Floyd.

What we're hearing: "Tonight you will see increased presence, both police...other agencies, and National Guard presence," a source familiar with the government's plans said.

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Axios
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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 4 p.m. ET: 6,226,408 — Total deaths: 373,973 — Total recoveries — 2,672,161 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 4 p.m. ET: 1,799,747 — Total deaths: 104,702 — Total recoveries: 444,758 — Total tested: 16,936,891 — Map.
  3. Public health: Nearly 26,000 coronavirus deaths in nursing homes have been reported to federal health officials —Coronavirus looms over George Floyd protests across the country.
  4. Federal government: Trump lashes out at governors, calls for National Guard to "dominate" streets.
  5. World: Former FDA commissioner says "this is not the time" to cut ties with WHO.
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New York City to impose curfew amid ongoing protests

Photo: Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

New York City will be placed under curfew on Monday from 11pm until 5am Tuesday morning following days of protests over the death of George Floyd, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday.

The big picture: Demonstrations in New York, like in cities across the country, turned violent over the weekend as protesters clashed with police late into the night. The number of police officers on the streets of New York will double from 4,000 to 8,000.

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