Baltimore a key battleground for Maryland Senate primary

BALTIMORE (AP) — As Baltimore continues to heal from the turmoil of last year's rioting, the city has become a key battleground in Maryland's Democratic Senate primary where a black woman and a white man are competing for the nomination.

Top Democrats in Washington and even the White House have taken the unusual step of weighing in on the election contest, in which crime and gun control have been a hot issue.

Edwards has criticized Van Hollen as a Washington insider, too willing to compromise liberal principles for a political deal.

A single mom since her son was about 3, Edwards said she remembers talking to her now-27-year-old son about his potential interactions with police as a young black man.

The campaign erupted last week when a PAC called Working for Us released a television ad with images of President Barack Obama tearing up while discussing Connecticut's Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The ad criticizes Van Hollen for meeting with National Rifle Association lobbyists to put a loophole in a campaign finance disclosure bill for the organization.