Elijah Cummings’ Daughters Endorse His Staffer Over Their Stepmother for Vacant Seat

Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings’ two daughters are supporting their late father’s long-time staffer, Harry Spikes, over Cummings’ second wife and their stepmother, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, to fill the vacant congressional seat left after Cummings’ untimely death in October.

“My sister and I are supporting Harry Spikes for Congress because for the past 15 years he’s worked alongside our father to meet the needs of the people of the [Maryland] 7th Congressional District,” Jennifer Cummings said in a statement to The Washington Post on Tuesday. “Harry knows this community. Our father often said of himself that he was ‘an ordinary man called to an extraordinary mission,’ and Harry embodies that same spirit.”

Spikes and Rockeymoore Cummings are among the candidates in a crowded field for the Feb. 4 special primary election. There are eight Republican and 24 Democratic candidates competing for the open spot.

Both Spikes and Rockeymoore Cummings spoke at Cummings’ funeral on Oct. 25. Cummings, who marched at Selma, Ala., with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a prominent civil rights activist.

Related Article: Elijah Cummings, Respected Maryland Rep. and House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman, Dies at 68

Cummings’ daughters said they’re endorsing Spikes because of his long-time support of their father and his similar vision for Baltimore.

“Dad would say, ‘This isn’t about me. This is bigger than me,’” Jennifer Cummings told the Post. “And Harry knows the mission to serve is bigger than him — it’s about the people of Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Howard County.”

The special general election will be held the same day as the statewide 2020 primary on April 28. Candidates nominated in the primary election will appear on that ballot. The winner will serve through 2020, when Cummings’ term would have ended.

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