Councilman Mark Conway dares Rep. Kweisi Mfume to debate, gets sharp rebuff

Tinashe Chingarande, Baltimore Sun on Apr 27, 2026

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Baltimore City Councilman Mark Conway challenged U.S. Rep Kweisi Mfume to a debate in the latest development in the race for Maryland’s 7th District.

“If he is ready to defend his record, he should welcome a debate on these issues. If he refuses, the people of Baltimore will have their answer,” Conway said Monday in a statement. The proposition comes a day after he stood in front of Mfume’s district office and disparaged his record and criticized his affiliation with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), from which he accepted $35,000 from during the most recent fundraising period. Mfume responded, calling Conway a “showhorse.”

On Monday, Mfume told The Baltimore Sun he’s not interested in a debate — yet.

“Whenever he stops deliberately lying to the people of this congressional district, I will consider it,” Mfume said in a statement.

Mfume told The Sun that Conway lied about him “taking campaign money from Corporate PACs,” adding that he wants to debate to get attention.

“He continues to lie and play loose with the facts because that’s what you do when you are losing,” Mfume added. “So Mark Conway needs to grow up, put on his big boy pants and remember that the people of Baltimore want a workhorse, not a show horse, because at the end of the day, working, families and seniors want to know what have you done sir, to make their lives better?”

Responding to Mfume’s “show horse” comment, Conway said, “A workhorse does the work of the people who elected him. A show horse does the work of the PACs that fund him,” Conway said. “(Mfume’s) single largest source of funding is AIPAC.”

Mfume, 77, has represented the 7th District for a combined 14 years and is seeking another two-year term. Conway, in his late 30s, has been on the Baltimore City Council since 2020.

The Democratic primary election will take place on Tuesday, June 23.

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