Mike Brown | |
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United States Shadow Senator from the District of Columbia | |
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2025 | |
Preceded by | Florence Pendleton |
Succeeded by | Ankit Jain |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael Donald Brown August 5, 1953 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic (Before 2014, 2017–present) Independent (2014–2017)[1] |
Education | University 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 from 2007 to 2025.[4]
As a shadow senator, Brown received no pay from the government,[5][6] receives no budget from the government,[7][8] and could not vote on matters before the Senate.[7] While he did 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 lobbied 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]