C. Anthony Muse

C. Anthony Muse (born Charles Anthony Muse on April 17, 1958) is an American politician and minister from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. He is a former member of the Maryland State Senate, representing Maryland's District 26 in southern Prince George's County. He is also the senior pastor of the Ark of Safety Christian Church in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. In the 2012 U.S. Senate election in Maryland, Muse unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Ben Cardin in the Democratic primary, receiving about 16% of the vote to Cardin's 74%.

Charles Anthony Muse
Muse in May 2008
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 26th district
In office
January 10, 2007 – January 9, 2019
Preceded byGloria Gary Lawlah
Succeeded byObie Patterson
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 26th district
In office
January 11, 1995 – January 13, 1999
Serving with Obie Patterson, David Valderrama
Preceded byRosa Lee Blumenthal
Succeeded byKerry Hill
Personal details
Born (1958-04-17) April 17, 1958
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materMorgan State University, B.A. (history), 1981; Wesley Theological Seminary, M.Div., 1984; Howard University, Doctor of Ministry, Church and Community Development, 1991
OccupationMinister

Early life, education, and pastoral career

Muse grew up in Park Heights, a working-class Baltimore, Maryland neighborhood.

Muse has never met his biological father and only learned the man's name when he was an adult and got a copy of his birth certificate. His teenage mother, Gloria Watson, had four boys and a girl by the time of Muse's birth in 1958. Watson married a violent man who beat him, his siblings and his mother. When Muse was twelve Watson announced to the children that they were moving to Alabama to join a revival group and escape their abusive stepfather. On the day they were supposed to leave, Muse packed a suitcase and ran away. For a few months, he lived with an older brother. Then, he said, he passed through 11 foster families in two years. Muse left some of the homes after fighting with the children, or the foster parents. He was thrown out of Pimlico Junior High School, he said, after jumping up on a lunchroom table, kicking over students' lunches and starting a melee. His last stop on the foster care circuit was the home of the Rev. George Stansbury, a United Methodist Church minister whom he credits with imposing order on his life.[1] As a teen he was hanging with the wrong crowd and Rev Stansbury saved Muse from a drug dealer that was going to harm him.

By age 20, Muse was a United Methodist minister, assigned to Mount Zion UMC in Ellicott City. His youthfulness, his Afro and red Gremlin vehicle, surprised his new congregants. However Muse won them over with his dramatic preaching and by adding a guitar and drums to the service. Long before he earned his degrees he'd sign cards "Dr. C. Anthony Muse" to Nina Ringgold, a congregant who gave him money and cooked for him.

After graduating from Morgan State University in Baltimore, he received a master's in divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC; then a doctorate degree of Ministry from Howard University.

Muse is married to WRC-TV news anchor Pat Lawson-Muse.[2] Together they have adopted daughter Lynell.

Muse worked as a pastor at a number of United Methodist churches before founding the Ark of Safety Christian Church in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Maryland legislature

Elections

Muse was originally elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1994 with 27% of the vote,[3] representing District 26 in southern Prince George's County. He only served one term in the House, not running for re-election in 1998. He ran for Prince George's County Executive in 2002 and lost the Democratic primary. In 2006, Muse ran for an open seat in the Maryland Senate and in the Democratic primary defeated fellow State Representative Obie Patterson 55%-45%.[4] In the general election, he won unopposed.[5] Muse was reelected to the Maryland state senate in 2010 and 2014. Instead of running for a fourth state senate term in 2018, Muse ran unsuccessfully for Prince George's County Executive.[6]

Tenure

In the Maryland legislature, Muse criticized the congressional and legislative redistricting processes as being overly partisan and discriminatory toward black voters.[7] He has tried to expand financial literacy, protect domestic violence victims, and provide more rights to noncustodial parents. He has also been heavily involved in issues affecting Prince George's and his district, including attempts to revitalize Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington; in 2010, Muse sponsored unsuccessful legislation to legalize gambling on card games at the horse track.[8] He also initially opposed allowing a casino at National Harbor, Maryland, favoring instead locating a casino at Rosecroft.[9] Muse is also known for strong social-conservative viewpoints, including strong opposition in 2011 and 2012 to the Civil Marriage Protection Act and the 2012 Question 6 referendum on same-sex marriage.[10][11] However, in 2014, Muse voted to ban discrimination based on gender identity after opposing a similar bill the prior year.[12]

Committee assignments

During his time in the house, he served on the Ways and Means Committee and as chaplain of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus. Muse currently sits on the Senate Finance Committee. He was a member of the Task Force to Study County Property-Tax Setoffs and Related Fiscal Issues in 1997 and a member of the Bi-County Affairs Committee of Prince George's County Delegation.[13]

2012 U.S. Senate election

In January 2012, he officially declared he would run for this seat against incumbent U.S. Senator Ben Cardin.[14] Muse came in second with 15.7% of the vote.

References
  1. Schwartzman, Paul (September 3, 2002). "A Pastor With a Passion to Heal". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  2. "Pat Lawson Muse". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  3. "1994 Gubernatorial Election". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. February 6, 2001.
  4. "Our Campaigns - MD State Senate 26 - D Primary Race - Sep 12, 2006". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  5. "Our Campaigns - MD State Senate 26 Race - Nov 07, 2006". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  6. Hernández, Arelis R. (June 26, 2017). "State Sen. Anthony Muse to run for Prince George's County executive". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  7. Hill, David (January 5, 2012). "P.G.'s Muse to challenge Cardin for Senate seat". The Washington Times.
  8. Barnette, George (April 21, 2010). "Rosecroft Card Gambling Rejected". The Afro-American. Washington, D.C. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  9. "Muse Fights Baker on National Harbor Casino". The Baltimore Sun. February 22, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  10. Wagner, John (February 24, 2011). "Maryland Senate approves bill on gay marriage, but House passage not ensured". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  11. Muse, C. Anthony (October 19, 2012). "Opinion: Maryland's referendum on religious liberty". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  12. Lavers, Michael K. (February 20, 2014). "Maryland Senate committee approves transgender rights bill". The Washington Blade. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  13. "C. Anthony Muse, Maryland State Senator". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. January 25, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  14. Pershing, Ben (January 5, 2012). "Anthony Muse set to launch Senate primary challenge against Cardin". The Washington Post.
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