Preceded by Florence Pendleton | Name Michael Brown | |
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Born August 5, 1953 (age 70)
Newark, New Jersey, U.S. ( 1953-08-05 ) Alma mater University of Maryland, College
Park Education University of Maryland, College Park Political party Democratic Party, Independent politician | ||
Michael Donald "Mike" Brown (born August 5, 1953) is a shadow senator from the District of Columbia.
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As a shadow senator, Brown receives no pay from the government, receives no budget from the government, and cannot vote on matters before the Senate. While he does not have an office in the United States Senate, the Government of the District provides the position with an office. Brown lobbies the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives on behalf of the citizens of the District in their attempt to gain full representation in Congress, self-determination, and eventually admittance to the Union as a state. As shadow senator, Brown also works with the District's delegate, mayor, and council to advance the interest of local residents on Federal issues. Brown was a member of the Democratic Party, until he changed his party registration to independent in 2014.
2006 election
Brown ran for the position of shadow senator in 2006, using campaign posters with the slogan "the last Shadow Senator you'll ever need" and registering the domain name "shadowsenator.com" for his website. Brown opposed a bill to give the District a full representative in the House of Representatives because it did not make the District a state. In the Democratic primary in September, he received 73 percent of the vote, defeating his opponent, Ward 8 activist Philip Pannell. Incumbent shadow senator Florence Pendleton was not on the primary ballot after Pannell challenged her nominating ballots. Of her required 2,000 ballots, only 1,559 were found to be valid. She campaigned as a write-in, but received only 2 percent of the vote. Pannell blamed his loss at least partly on voter confusion, since the better-known Michael A. Brown was running for mayor at the same time; others, including Michael A. Brown himself, agreed.
In the November general election, Brown received 86 percent of the votes, while Joyce Robinson-Paul, a member of the D.C. Statehood Green Party, received 14 percent. There was no Republican candidate running for the position.
2010 election
Brown was a candidate for at-large member of the Council of the District of Columbia. Other Democrats running for the same position included Clark Ray and incumbent Phil Mendelson, who was comfortably re-elected.
2012 election
Brown sought reelection to his position as shadow senator in 2012. He had the endorsements of District progressive organizations and local Democratic party groups. Brown was challenged by a wealthy District landlord Peter A. Ross who self-funded his campaign and outspent Brown by a more than 200:1 ratio. Ross' campaign had to overcome news reports noting a past conviction for federal tax fraud and reports that he failed to pay his District real estate taxes. Brown won reelection.
Personal life
Brown was born in Newark, New Jersey, and moved to Montgomery County, Maryland, as a teenager. Brown received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in public policy from the University of Maryland. Brown has lived in the District since 1984, and he currently lives in the neighborhood of American University Park. Brown is also the president and founder of Horizon Communications Corp., which provides direct-mail services to political organizations and non-profit organizations.
Race for DC Council
In 2014, Brown ran for a seat on the Council of the District of Columbia as an at-large member. He finished 3rd, but the top two finishers won the seats.