Washington — Rep. Rosa DeLauro has a starring role and Rep. Joe Courtney is odd man out as House Democrats began their three-day annual retreat Wednesday.

The retreat, in Cambridge, Md., the Eastern Shore town that was the site of the GOP retreat last month, will feature speeches by President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden and sessions on favorite Democratic issues, including raising the minimum wage and strengthening education.

DeLauro, the longtime 3rd District representative, will host a session on “Unmarried Women – They Will Elect You If You Get It Right.”

Democratic lawmakers will also attend sessions on “Sharpening Your Media Skills,” “Developing a Winning Message” and a new campaign finance bill co-sponsored by Rep. John Larson, D-1st District.

There are also voluntary, recreational activities on the agenda, including a visit to the Harriet Tubman Museum or to a Maryland winery.

Courtney preferred to visit family and skip the retreat, said the lawmaker’s press secretary, Elizabeth Donovan.

Courtney’s decision may not have pleased his party’s leaders, but he’s spared the possibility of being stranded in Cambridge or Washington by a blizzard that’s expected to cripple the Eastern Seaboard Thursday.

Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.

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