Michael Donald Brown

Mike Brown
United States Shadow Senator
from the District of Columbia
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2007
Serving with Paul Strauss
Preceded byFlorence Pendleton
Personal details
Born (1953-08-05) August 5, 1953 (age 71)
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic (Before 2014, 2017–present)
Other political
affiliations		Independent (2014–2017)[1]
EducationUniversity of Maryland, College Park (BA, MPP)

Michael Donald Brown[2] (born August 5, 1953[3]) is an American politician serving as the junior United States shadow senator from the District of Columbia, having served since 2007.[4]

As a shadow senator, Brown receives no pay from the government,[5][6] receives no budget from the government,[7][8] and cannot vote on matters before the Senate.[7] While he does not have an office in the United States Capitol or any of the Senate's office buildings, the District's government provides the position with an office in the John A. Wilson Building.[7] 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,[9][10] self-determination,[10] and eventually admittance to the Union as a state.[10][11] 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,[11] until he changed his party registration to independent in 2014.[1] He re-joined the Democratic Party in 2017.

Brown is known colloquially as "white Mike" to distinguish him from Michael A. Brown, another Washington, D.C. politician who shares the same name. Brown's opponent in one race suggested that some Washingtonians might be voting for Michael D. Brown thinking they were voting for Michael A. Brown; Michael D. Brown strenuously denied this possibility.[12]

  1. ^ a b Sommer, Will (June 13, 2014). "Shadow Sen. Michael Brown Declares for At-Large Race". Washington City Paper.
  2. ^ Jaffee, Harry (September 6, 2010). "Doggett comes back to sort out D.C.'s black, white, Brown problem". The Washington Examiner. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  3. ^ "Voters Guide 2006 Supplement" (PDF). The Washington Informer. 2006-09-24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-25.
  4. ^ "DC Government Resource Center: Congressional Delegation (Shadow)". Government of the District of Columbia. Archived from the original on 2008-01-12. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  5. ^ Chibbaro, Jr., Lou (2006-09-01). "Gay Pannell outpaces rival in race for shadow Senate seat". Washington Blade. Archived from the original on 2007-09-24. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
  6. ^ Ponder, Meredith (2006-09-27). "Shadow delegates: Emerging from the dark". The Georgetown Independent. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
  7. ^ a b c Copeland, Libby (2007-01-16). "Shadow Delegation Toils in Obscurity for D.C.'s Day in the Sun". The Washington Post. p. C01. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
  8. ^ "Offices on the Ballot: United States Senator and Representative". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. Archived from the original on 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  9. ^ Williams, Mesha (2007-02-21). "D.C. voting rights: Will the District ever become a state?". American Observer. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
  10. ^ a b c "Profile for Michael D. Brown". Vote USA.org. 2006.
  11. ^ a b "Election Profiles: Michael D. Brown". The Washington Post. 2006. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  12. ^ Peter Jamison (June 14, 2018). "Is this D.C. politician benefiting from a case of mistaken identity?". Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved June 14, 2018.