Maya Rockeymoore Cummings announces she'll run for her late husband Elijah Cummings' seat

The race to fill the late Rep. Elijah Cummings' seat has its first contender.

Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, Cummings' widow and the chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, will run in the Baltimore district's special election, she told The Baltimore Sun in an interview published Monday night. While she is "of course devastated at the loss of my spouse," Rockeymoore Cummings said his "spirit is with me" in making this decision.

Cummings died last month at age 68 after a long fight with cancer, capping his congressional career as House Oversight Committee chair, leading one of the groups investigating President Trump for impeachment. As Cummings' health declined, he had considered resigning, but ultimately decided to stay in because "we thought there might be a turnaround," Rockeymoore Cummings told The Baltimore Sun. Cummings told his wife in the months before he died that he'd like her to take his congressional seat, with Rockeymoore Cummings saying she'd run "as if he's still right here by my side."

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Rockeymoore Cummings will maintain Cummings' focus on the opioid crisis and "fighting for the soul of our democracy," and also campaign on her specialties in health care and education, she said. The seat will be decided in an April 28 special election. Meanwhile, several House Democrats are looking to take Cummings' spot on the Oversight committee, with Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) serving as acting chair.

Read more about Rockeymoore Cummings' decision at The Baltimore Sun.