Wala Blegay "The Poopster" could go to Congress

A Surprise Endorsement and Fresh Questions in Maryland’s 5th District

The 5th Congressional District race took an unexpected turn Thursday evening when Council Member‑at‑Large Wala Blegay picked up a new endorsement — this one from Senator and Reverend C. Anthony Muse. The news arrived not through a press release or a staged rollout, but in a phone call that quickly turned into a sweeping critique of the senator’s recent controversies and what his support may signal for the race.

“Allow me to brighten your day,” the caller began, before delivering the headline: Muse is backing Blegay. (The voice dripped with irony because Jimmy O'Toole knows that I consider C. Anthony Muse a Low-life grifter.)

What followed was a detailed, point‑by‑point recollection of the senator’s now‑public employment dispute with Prince George’s County — a job he held quietly, without a competitive hiring process, without Senate Ethics approval, and without any documented work product. As previously reported by the Maryland Wire, no county email address was ever created for him. There are no logs of hours, responsibilities, or communications. And if documents were subpoenaed, the caller argued, “there would not be email correspondence, text messages, phone logs, or video evidence of the senator entering or exiting the county building at any time.”

The job, which paid nearly $200,000 annually, was one Muse ultimately resigned after Senate President Bill Ferguson made clear he would not be sworn in for the new term unless he stepped down. Muse later defended himself by saying that serving in the General Assembly “pays nothing,” a remark that struck some observers as dismissive of the roughly $55,000 legislative salary plus housing and food stipends.

The caller also raised questions about the role of Muse’s wife, Pat Lawson Muse, who has appeared in multiple county‑hosted Zoom events as a moderator or communications figure. “I’m not accusing anything untoward,” he said, “but it raises questions about accountability and transparency.”

Against that backdrop, the endorsement of Blegay — who is competing in a crowded field — landed with a mix of surprise and skepticism. The caller wondered aloud whether a candidate seeking to represent the entire 5th District could effectively hold powerful local figures accountable if she is simultaneously benefiting from their political support.

Recent polling, he noted, shows a wide‑open race: Rushern Baker leading with 22%, Harry Dunn at 14%, Blegay at 11%, Delegate Nicole Williams at 9%, Senator Arthur Ellis around 7%, Quincy Bareebe at 6%, and Adrian Boafo at 3%. With no dominant frontrunner, even a single endorsement could shift momentum — or trigger backlash.

The caller’s final point was blunt: “I would like to see that his endorsement has a backlash on Blegay,” he said, arguing that voters deserve representatives who will serve the entire district, not just the political networks of Prince George’s County.

The call ended the way many political conversations do — with a mix of urgency, frustration, and the promise to pick things up again tomorrow.

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