Maya Rockeymoore Cummings Explained

Maya Rockeymoore Cummings
Office:Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party
Term Start:December 1, 2018
Term End:November 11, 2019
Predecessor:Kathleen Matthews
Successor:Cory V. McCray (Acting)
Birth Name:Maya Michelle Rockeymoore
Birth Date:31 January 1971
Birth Place:El Paso, Texas, U.S.
Party:Democratic
Children:3
Education:Prairie View A&M University (BA)
Purdue University (MA, PhD)

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.

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]

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.

In 2017, Rockeymoore Cummings announced she would run for governor of Maryland in the 2018 election.[6] [7] [8] [9] She received an endorsement from EMILY's List when she ran for Governor of Maryland.[10] In January 2018, after her husband was hospitalized she dropped out of the race.[11]

In December 2018, Rockeymoore Cummings was elected as chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, succeeding Kathleen Matthews.[12] [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 married Elijah Cummings, a member of the United States House of Representatives who represented, in 2008.[20] They remained married until his death in 2019. Rep. Cummings had three children from earlier relationships. Rockeymoore has no relation to said children.

Her father Thomas was a Commissioned Officer in the Air Force, her brother is an English Teacher at San Marcos High School in Texas and her sister Meredith is a Pain Management Physician at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas and is Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas School of Osteopathic Medicine.[21] [22]

Notes and References

  1. The African American political response to HIV and AIDS: A study of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 105th Congress. Maya Michelle. Rockeymoore. January 1, 2000. Theses and Dissertations Available from ProQuest. 1–155. November 29, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20150524080624/http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/dissertations/AAI3033157/. May 24, 2015. live.
  2. Web site: 2020 Special Primary - Congressional District 7 Election State Candidates List . elections.maryland.gov . . November 29, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191115133103/https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2020/special_primary/gen_cand_lists_2020_7_ALL.html . November 15, 2019 . live.
  3. Web site: 2020 Presidential Primary Election State Candidates List . elections.maryland.gov . . Representative in Congress, Congressional District 7 . November 29, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190814010337/https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2020/primary_candidates/gen_cand_lists_2020_3_00807.html . August 14, 2019 . live.
  4. News: Mendoza . Diego . Cummings' wife was a San Antonian before her D.C. life . . October 19, 2019 . October 20, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191019152314/https://www.expressnews.com/news/news_columnists/elaine_ayala/article/Cummings-wife-was-a-San-Antonian-before-her-14546021.php . October 19, 2019 . live.
  5. Web site: Maya Rockeymoore. Huffington Post. January 11, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20170721172030/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/maya-673. July 21, 2017. live.
  6. News: Maya Rockeymoore, wife of Rep. Elijah Cummings, weighs run for Md. governor. Hicks. Josh. Wiggins. Ovetta. July 18, 2017. The Washington Post. January 11, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190111060041/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/maya-rockeymoore-wife-of-rep-elijah-cummings-weighs-run-for-md-governor/2017/07/18/c89fe1e4-6bc7-11e7-9c15-177740635e83_story.html. January 11, 2019. live.
  7. News: Rockeymoore Cummings launches bid for Maryland governor. Wiggins. Ovetta. October 12, 2017. The Washington Post. January 11, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190111175756/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/rockeymoore-cummings-launches-bid-for-maryland-governor/2017/10/11/5a3daf72-adeb-11e7-a908-a3470754bbb9_story.html. January 11, 2019. live.
  8. News: Maya Rockeymoore Cummings joins Democratic race for Maryland governor . Dresser . Michael . October 12, 2017 . . January 11, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190111060700/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/anne-arundel/bs-md-rockeymoore-cummings-governor-20171011-story.html . January 11, 2019 . dead .
  9. News: Rep. Elijah Cummings hospitalized, wife Maya Rockeymoore Cummings drops out of Maryland governor race . Cox . Erin . Fritze . John . . January 11, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190111060842/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-rockeymoore-cummings-drops-out-20180105-story.html . January 11, 2019 . dead .
  10. News: Maya Rockeymoore Cummings more than her husband's name . Ford . William . . January 11, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191020214910/https://www.phillytrib.com/news/across_america/maya-rockeymoore-cummings-more-than-her-husband-s-name/article_92a7abb6-319c-5d02-8fbd-19c728515eb4.html . October 20, 2019 . live.
  11. News: Rep. Elijah Cummings hospitalized; his wife drops out of Maryland governor's race . The Washington Post . January 5, 2018 . October 20, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191021011031/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/rockeymoore-cummings-drops-out-of-maryland-governors-race/2018/01/05/6f3e1fa4-f230-11e7-b3bf-ab90a706e175_story.html . October 21, 2019 . live.
  12. News: Maryland Democrats elect Maya Rockeymoore Cummings as state party chair. Wiggins. Ovetta. December 1, 2018. The Washington Post. January 11, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190111054250/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/maryland-democrats-elect-maya-rockeymoore-cummings-as-its-new-chairwoman/2018/12/01/c2955e64-f406-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html. January 11, 2019. live.
  13. Web site: Looking for a Change, Democrats Elect Rockeymoore Cummings as Party Chair. Gaines. Danielle E.. December 1, 2018. Maryland Matters. en-US. January 11, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190111232518/https://www.marylandmatters.org/2018/12/01/looking-for-a-change-democrats-elect-rockeymoore-cummings-as-party-chair/. January 11, 2019. dead.
  14. Web site: Maya Rockeymoore Cummings Elected Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party. Burke. Lauren. December 4, 2018. BlackPressUSA. January 11, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190101023647/https://www.blackpressusa.com/maya-rockeymoore-cummings-elected-chair-of-the-maryland-democratic-party/. January 1, 2019. dead.
  15. News: Luke . Broadwater . Maryland Democratic Party overspent by hundreds of thousands under Rockeymoore Cummings, acting chairman says . November 29, 2019 . The Baltimore Sun.
  16. News: Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, widow of Baltimore Rep. Elijah Cummings, will seek his seat in Congress . November 11, 2019 . The Baltimore Sun . Broadwater . Luke . November 29, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191115163559/https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-maya-cummings-20191112-ptsbywxf45ecjgyu5ovdeyqvyy-story.html . November 15, 2019 . live.
  17. Web site: Official 2020 7th Congressional District Special Primary Election results for Representative in Congress . elections.maryland.gov . Maryland State Board of Elections . May 22, 2020 . February 21, 2020.
  18. Web site: Official 2020 Special General Election results for Representative in Congress . elections.maryland.gov . State Board of Elections . May 22, 2020 . May 12, 2020.
  19. Web site: 2020 Presidential Primary Election State Candidates List . elections.maryland.gov . . Representative in Congress, Congressional District 07.
  20. News: Cummings endorses his wife for Democratic National Convention delegate? We should hope so . Chris . Kaltenbach . The Baltimore Sun . November 29, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191020221011/https://www.baltimoresun.com/features/baltimore-insider/bal-cummings-endorses-his-wife-for-delegate-we-should-hope-so-20160414-story.html . October 20, 2019 . live.
  21. News: Elijah Cummings' Family: The Congressman's Wife, Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, And His Children . BET . Zayda . Rivera . October 17, 2019 . October 19, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191019191624/https://www.bet.com/news/national/2019/10/17/elijah-cummings_-family--the-congressmans-wife--dr--maya-rockeym.html . October 19, 2019 . live.
  22. News: Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) . . July 8, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140823035005/http://www.rollcall.com/members/232.html . August 23, 2014 . live.