Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the popular Baltimore congressman who has been weighing whether to run for Senate for nearly a year, has decided to seek re-election to the House instead — averting a shakeup in the contest to replace Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski.
Cummings’ campaign made the announcement in a statement early Tuesday, a day before the state’s deadline to file for ballot access. The congressman was expected to file for re-election at the State Board of Elections on Tuesday.
Cummings’ decision was not a surprise. Most political observers had long ago assumed the Baltimore Democrat would not run for Senate. The 11-term congressman had not increased fundraising, hired new staff or sought to lock down key political endorsements — all moves someone considering a statewide campaign could be expected to do.
On the other hand, Cummings’ delay had left the door open just a little for months. A number of polls showed Cummings would have started with a big advantage over the two declared candidates, Reps. Donna Edwards of Prince George’s County and Chris Van Hollen of Montgomery County — enough, at least, to alter the course of the race.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by John Fritze over at the Baltimore Sun
