DISTRICT 25: THE RISE, THE COLLAPSE, AND THE SCRAMBLE BACK TO UNITY
For decades, District 25 was the strongest, tightest, most disciplined political machine in Prince George’s County. If you wanted to see what real unity looked like — not the Instagram version, not the “we took a picture together once” version — you looked at 25.
They had Senator Melony Griffith, respected statewide, steady, unshakeable.
They had Delegate Dereck E. Davis, one of the most powerful legislators in Annapolis, a man with seniority, a powerful committee chairmanship, and the kind of institutional weight that made lobbyists sit up straight.
Together, they were the backbone of the district.
And then the backbone snapped.
THE TWO DEPARTURES THAT BROKE THE MACHINE
First, the Maryland Hospital Association walked in and offered Melony Griffith a million‑dollar job. You don’t turn down a salary that’s twenty times what a state senator makes. She took it — and who wouldn’t.
Then Dereck E. Davis lost his bid for Speaker of the House. Annapolis handled it the Annapolis way: they “promoted” him out of the legislature entirely by making him State Treasurer — a constitutional office with a driver, a state police detail, a big SUV, and a six‑figure salary. It’s the softest landing in Maryland politics.
But the cost was enormous.
Because suddenly District 25 — the strongest district in the county — had no elected senator and no elected delegates.
THE APPOINTMENT ERA: A WEAK TEAM INHERITS A STRONG DISTRICT
The current lineup:
- Senator Nick Charles — elected as a delegate, appointed to the Senate
- Delegate Karen Toles — appointed then elected.
- Delegate Kent Roberson — appointed
- Delegate Denise Roberts — appointed But strongest serving delegate
Only one of them was elected to the seat they hold.
This is the weakest District 25 has been in over 30 years.
And when a district is weak, the political behavior gets weird.
THE KAREN TOLES SITUATION — NOW WITH THE CORRECTION
Here’s the correction that matters:
Karen Toles did endorse Adrian Boafo.
She endorsed him first.
The rest of the team is catching up to her, not the other way around.
That changes the interpretation — but not the underlying dynamics.
Because even though she endorsed Boafo early, she’s still politically vulnerable:
- She’s an AKA who endorsed a woman from another sorority
- She crossed former Senator Gloria Lawlah, who is now the second most powerful AKA in the county behind Dr. Juanita Miller
- She no longer has the full sorority shield behind her
- She still carries the old Beltway speeding scandal from her County Council days
- She doesn’t have a strong base, a strong machine, or a strong patron
So yes — she endorsed Boafo.
But that doesn’t erase the structural weakness around her.
THE REAL STORY: THE ENDORSEMENTS LOOKED SPLIT BECAUSE THE TEAM IS DISORGANIZED
This is the key insight:
The endorsements weren’t divided — the rollout was.
In a strong district, the senator and delegates endorse together, on the same day, with the same language, in the same press release.
In District 25 today?
- Karen endorsed Boafo early
- Nick Charles endorsed later
- Denise Roberts endorsed later
- Kent Roberson endorsed later
It wasn’t a disagreement.
It was a coordination failure.
And coordination failures are the hallmark of a weakened slate.
THE CHALLENGERS ARE STILL STRONGER THAN THE INCUMBENTS
Even with the endorsement correction, the field remains brutal:
Antoine Thompson
National connections.
Real money.
White House access under Biden.
A serious political operator.
Anthony Tilghman
Honest.
Hard‑working.
Respected.
No scandals.
No nonsense.
The fourth CandidateAngela Angel
Viable.
Clean.
Has run before.
Competitive.
The fifth Candidate Joseph Tolbert III
Viable.
Clean.
Competitive.
Roberson and Roberts
Now aligned with the machine.
That’s four strong candidates for three seats.
And the incumbents — all appointed — are still the weakest slate District 25 has fielded in decades.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The story isn’t that District 25 split on the Boafo endorsement.
The story is that they couldn’t even coordinate the timing of a unified endorsement — something the old District 25 machine would have executed with military precision.
The district that once ran like a Swiss watch now runs like a group chat with the notifications turned off.
And even though Karen Toles endorsed Boafo early, the political reality remains:
- The district is weak
- The challengers are strong
- The insiders are recalibrating
- And the old machine is gone
This is not the fall of Karen Toles.
This is the fall of District 25 as we knew it.