Maya Rockeymoore Cummings

Maya Michelle Rockeymoore Cummings[1] (born January 31, 1971) is an American consultant, politician, and former chair of the Maryland Democratic Party in the United States. Before her election as party chair, she briefly ran for Governor of Maryland. She owns a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm.

Maya Rockeymoore Cummings
Rockeymoore Cummings in 2019
Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party
In office
December 1, 2018 – November 11, 2019
Preceded byKathleen Matthews
Succeeded byCory V. McCray (Acting)
Personal details
Born
Maya Michelle Rockeymoore

(1971-01-31) January 31, 1971
El Paso, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 2008; died 2019)​
Children3
EducationPrairie View A&M University (BA)
Purdue University (MA, PhD)

Rockeymore Cummings was a candidate in the 2020 Maryland 7th congressional district special election to fill out the term of her late husband, Elijah Cummings,[2] and was also a candidate in the overlapping regular 2020 election for the same congressional seat.[3]

Early life and career

Rockeymore Cummings graduated from John Jay High School in San Antonio, Texas.[4] She earned her bachelor's degree from Prairie View A&M University, and then attended Purdue University, where she studied political science. She earned a master's degree in 1996 and a Doctor of Philosophy in political science, with an emphasis in public policy, in 2000.[5][6][7]

Career

From 1995 to 1997, Rockeymoore Cummings was the Administrative Assistant to the Director at the Marion County, Indiana Department of Health. In September 1997, she then moved to Washington, D.C., and became a legislative fellow for the Congressional Black Caucus under former Rep. Melvin Watt. In 1998, she moved to the United States House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security as a professional staffer, until January 1999, at which time she began working as the Chief of Staff for former Congressman Charles Rangel.[5]

In 2017, Rockeymoore Cummings announced she would run for governor of Maryland in the 2018 election.[8][9][10][6][11] She received an endorsement from EMILY's List when she ran for Governor of Maryland.[5] In January 2018, after her husband was hospitalized she dropped out of the race.[12]

In December 2018, Rockeymoore Cummings was elected as chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, succeeding Kathleen Matthews.[8][13][14] Under her leadership the party was overspending and its bank balance fell from $700,000 to $360,000.[15]

On November 11, 2019, she announced on The Rachel Maddow Show that she would stand in the 2020 Maryland's 7th congressional district special election, to campaign for the seat previously held by her husband.[16] In the February 4, 2020 Democratic primary Rockeymoore Cummings finished second to Kweisi Mfume[17] who went on to win the April 28, 2020 special election.[18] She was also a candidate for a full term of the same seat in the June 6 Democratic primary.[19]

Personal life

Rockeymoore Cummings married Elijah Cummings, a member of the United States House of Representatives who represented Maryland's 7th congressional district, in 2008.[20] They remained married until his death in 2019. Rep. Cummings had three children from earlier relationships; Rockeymoore Cummings is stepmother to his two daughters and one son.[21][22]

References
  1. Rockeymoore, Maya Michelle (January 1, 2000). "The African American political response to HIV and AIDS: A study of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 105th Congress". Theses and Dissertations Available from ProQuest: 1–155. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  2. "2020 Special Primary - Congressional District 7 Election State Candidates List". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  3. "2020 Presidential Primary Election State Candidates List". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019. Representative in Congress, Congressional District 7
  4. Mendoza, Diego (October 19, 2019). "Cummings' wife was a San Antonian before her D.C. life". San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  5. Ford, William. "Maya Rockeymoore Cummings more than her husband's name". Philadelphia Tribune. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  6. Dresser, Michael (October 12, 2017). "Maya Rockeymoore Cummings joins Democratic race for Maryland governor". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  7. "Maya Rockeymoore". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on July 21, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  8. Wiggins, Ovetta (December 1, 2018). "Maryland Democrats elect Maya Rockeymoore Cummings as state party chair". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  9. Hicks, Josh; Wiggins, Ovetta (July 18, 2017). "Maya Rockeymoore, wife of Rep. Elijah Cummings, weighs run for Md. governor". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  10. Wiggins, Ovetta (October 12, 2017). "Rockeymoore Cummings launches bid for Maryland governor". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  11. Cox, Erin; Fritze, John. "Rep. Elijah Cummings hospitalized, wife Maya Rockeymoore Cummings drops out of Maryland governor race". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  12. "Rep. Elijah Cummings hospitalized; his wife drops out of Maryland governor's race". The Washington Post. January 5, 2018. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  13. Gaines, Danielle E. (December 1, 2018). "Looking for a Change, Democrats Elect Rockeymoore Cummings as Party Chair". Maryland Matters. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  14. Burke, Lauren (December 4, 2018). "Maya Rockeymoore Cummings Elected Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party". BlackPressUSA. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  15. Broadwater, Luke (November 29, 2019). "Maryland Democratic Party overspent by hundreds of thousands under Rockeymoore Cummings, acting chairman says". The Baltimore Sun.
  16. Broadwater, Luke (November 11, 2019). "Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, widow of Baltimore Rep. Elijah Cummings, will seek his seat in Congress". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  17. "Official 2020 7th Congressional District Special Primary Election results for Representative in Congress". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. February 21, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  18. "Official 2020 Special General Election results for Representative in Congress". elections.maryland.gov. State Board of Elections. May 12, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  19. "2020 Presidential Primary Election State Candidates List". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Representative in Congress, Congressional District 07
  20. Kaltenbach, Chris. "Cummings endorses his wife for Democratic National Convention delegate? We should hope so". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  21. Rivera, Zayda (October 17, 2019). "Elijah Cummings' Family: The Congressman's Wife, Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, And His Children". BET. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  22. "Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.)". Roll Call. Archived from the original on August 23, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
Party political offices
Preceded by
Kathleen Matthews		 Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party
2018–2019		 Succeeded by
Cory V. McCray
Acting
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