Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, the widow of
Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md, said she will be running for her late
husband's seat in Congress.
During an interview Monday with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, Rockeymoore
Cummings said she will be officially announcing her candidacy for the
7th congressional district of Maryland on Tuesday.
"I believe very strongly that I have the background and the focus and
the commitment and the ability to take the reins and make a good run for
the seat," she said.
Rockeymoore Cummings will be entering an already congested race for her
late husband's seat that became available following his death at the age
of 68 in October from complications from longstanding health issues.
As of Monday, three Republicans and eight Democrats had officially filed
for the special election, which is scheduled for April 28. The winner
will complete Cumming's term, which ends in January 2021. The deadline
to file is Nov. 20.
During the interview, Rockeymoore Cummings said she worked alongside her
husband for over two decades, and that he told her prior to his death
that he wanted her to take over for him if he were to die.
"We'd been discussing this for quite some time because he had been ill
for quite some time and he was pondering his future and what would
happen to the seat," she said. "So, about six months ago, we were
talking and he said, 'You know, I really do think you should take this
seat.'"
She made the announcement the same day she resigned as chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party.
Cory McCray, Baltimore City State Senator, has since been appointed chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party.
In a statement, McCray thanked Rockeymoore Cummings for her service and
reassured Democrats of the party's "stability and continuity of service"
in the build-up to the 2020 elections.
Rockeymoore Cummings also told Maddow that she will be undergoing a
scheduled double mastectomy on Friday but will continue a strong
presence online during her two- to four-week recovery period.
She said the decision to undergo the surgery was made before her
husband's death and pre-emptive due to her family's history of breast
cancer.
Her mother died of stage four breast cancer in 2015 and her younger
sister underwent a double mastectomy last year after being diagnosed
with the disease, she said.
"I want to get ahead of the curb and take the bull by the horns and stop
it in its tracks before it ever begins," she told Maddow.
Her husband, she said, had helped persuade her to undergo the surgery and she said she will keep her promise to him.
"Even though he passed away and even though this race is now before me, I
decided to keep my promise to him and I will keep this appointment on
Friday," she said.
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