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Elijah Cummings ‘Not Interested’ in Baltimore Mayoral Race

Cummings helps clear Baltimore streets of protesters in April. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images File Photo)
Cummings helps clear Baltimore streets of protesters in April. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images File Photo)

As Rep. Elijah E. Cummings considers a run for Senate in the Democratic primary to replace retiring Barbara A. Mikulski, a source close to the 10-term lawmaker said he was “not interested” in another newly posted job: mayor of Baltimore.  

On Friday, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake — seen as politically damaged from her handling of the death of Freddie Gray and the unrest that followed — told reporters that she would not run for re-election .  

Her announcement led some to suggest that Cummings — who spent time in April on the streets of Baltimore trying to calm the protests — might look at the job himself. But the source said that is not the case. In a statement, Cummings hailed Rawlings-Blake as a “fighter for the people of Baltimore.”  

“For more than 20 years, she has served in City government, and she has dedicated her life to uplifting everyone in our City,” he said. “Even her decision not to seek re-election, in her own words, is based on her commitment to ensuring that she spends the remaining 15 months of her term focused on Baltimore’s future, not her own.”  

At least three other candidates have emerged for mayor, including state Sen. Catherine Pugh, City Councilman Carl Stokes, and former Mayor Sheila Dixon, who will hold a kick-off event for her campaign this weekend.  

When asked Thursday about a potential Senate campaign — Cummings, who would be the only Democrat in the race from Baltimore — declined to comment . Two other Maryland lawmakers, Reps. Chris Van Hollen and Donna Edwards, have already launched their own campaigns.


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