Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Maryland Democrat who had been considering a campaign for his state’s open seat in the Senate, said Tuesday he has decided to run instead for a 12th term in Congress.  

His public statement came after months of speculation that the Baltimore resident would join Reps. Donna Edwards and Chris Van Hollen in the race for retiring Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski’s seat, a race in which polling suggested he would enter as the front-runner. “I am mindful of the great opportunity that service in the United States Senate would present,” Cummings said in a statement. “I believe that I can best serve the people of our city, our state and our nation by continuing my work in Congress, by continuing to touch people in every part of our great nation, and by leading an united effort to elect progressives across the board – rather than by focusing upon one single Senate race.”  

As of Tuesday morning, Cummings still had not filed with state officials to run for re-election, but he has until Wednesday night to do so.  

Contact Yokley at EliYokley@RollCall.com and on Twitter @EYokley. 

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