Kweisi Mfume easily won a mostly mail-in Maryland special election on April 28 to finish the term of the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, retaking the congressional seat Mfume held for five terms before leaving to lead the NAACP.
But there is controversy.
Mfume built much of his campaign for Congress around his four-decade friendship with Elijah Cummings.
Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, widow of the late Representative, also ran for her husband’s seat Congress and lost. Both she and Mfume are vying for the Democratic nomination for a full term in the upcoming June 2 primary.
She says her husband never trusted Mfume or considered him a friend. She questions Mfume’s sincerity about her late husband.
Rockeymoore Cummings made the comments on the website Medium in a post entitled “Stolen Legacy.” A forthcoming book written by Elijah Cummings before his death will verify her claims, The Washington Post reported.
Rockeymoore Cummings is the former chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party.
Mfume released a statement describing Rockeymoore Cummings’ Medium post as “a sad and desperate attempt to try to change 42 years of friendship and facts.”
Mfume and Rockeymoore Cummings are among 19 candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for a full term in the June 2 primary. Like the April 28 special election, the June 2 primary will be conducted mostly by mail, The Washington Post reported.
Mfume held the congressional seat from 1987 to 1996 before leaving Congress to run the NAACP. He said he encouraged Elijah Cummings to take his seat in Congress.
In her post, Rockeymoore Cummings says the story is “not true” and suggests that Mfume told it “to establish his credibility as a friend worthy of following in Elijah’s footsteps.”
“Elijah was friendly with Mfume but he didn’t consider him a friend,” Rockeymoore Cummings wrote. “In fact, he often said he didn’t trust him and that if Mfume was involved, it was likely because Mfume stood to personally benefit. Elijah, who had the gift of spiritual discernment, often said that it bothered him that he couldn’t feel Mfume’s spirit.”
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Mfume, 71, defeated Republican Kimberly Klacik in the heavily Democratic 7th Congressional District. Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 4-to-1 in the district, The Grio reported.
“I promise you that as your congressman I will use every ability that I have to bring about that change,” Mfume said after capturing an overwhelming number of votes in the city and strong majorities in both counties.
Mfume will serve the rest of Cummings’ term until January. Mfume previously held the seat for five terms from 1987 to 1996 and chaired the NAACP from 1996 until 2004.
