Maya Rockeymoore Cummings formally announced Tuesday her bid to fill the seat vacated by the passing of her husband, Democratic Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, in October.
Rockeymoore Cummings resigned from her post as chair of the Maryland Democratic Party late Monday night and told The Baltimore Sun that Cummings’ “spirit” is with her.
“I’m gong to run this race, and I’m going to run it hard, as if he’s still right here by my side,” she explained. “That was a discussion we had some months ago. In the end, he was conflicted about whether he should resign or stay in office. We thought there might be a turnaround. It didn’t happen.”
Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Democrat from Maryland, right, and Maya Rockeymoore Cummings arrive to a state dinner hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama and U.S. first lady Michelle Obama in honor of French President Francois Hollande at the White House on Feb. 11, 2014 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images)
There will be a special election held on February 4th to fill the 7th District seat, which Cummings held since 1996.
Rockeymoore Cummings was recently embroiled in controversy regarding possible unlawful activity related to the running of her nonprofit Center for Global Policy Solutions. Reporting by the Daily Caller News Foundation revealed that Rockeymoore Cummings used the nonprofit organization to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars into a for-profit entity, Global Policy Solutions LLC. (RELATED: Elijah Cummings’s Wife Used Her Charity To Pay Her For-Profit Company, Documents Show)
“It’s self-dealing. It’s taking the charity’s resources and turning them into personal profits,” National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) investigator Tom Anderson said of Rockeymoore Cummings’ actions. “IRS law doesn’t allow a charity for this purpose. This isn’t for the public interest, this is for her personal interest. You can’t do that.”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (L) performs the ceremonial swearing-in with incoming Chair of the House Oversight Committee Elijah Cummings and wife Maya Rockeymoore. (Photo: ALEX EDELMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
She has also been accused of perjuring herself while disclosing the financial transactions conducted between the two entities.
Rep. Cummings called the allegations against his wife “baseless claims… funded by right-wing mega-donors.”
“I am confident that they will be exposed for what they really are,” he said in a 2019 statement. “A fabricated distraction from the important work being done on behalf of Americans, such as lowering the skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs.”