Representative Elijah Cummings Dies at Age 68

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Stratis Bohle

Elijah Cummings, Congressional Representative for Maryland’s 7th Congressional District since 1996 and chairman of the House Oversight Committee during the 116th Congress, has passed away at age 68 on the 17th of October at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

In 1983 Cummings was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, 39th District. Representative Cummings pushed for improved visibility of African Americans when he pushed for further Civil Rights actions to be taken by the state. In 1996 he ran for the vacated 7th Congressional district, which he won following a 7-way primary, in the mostly black and democratic house district. He never had less than 69% of the vote for any general election for the 11 times he was reelected. Starting in the 112th Congress, he was the ranking member for the House Oversight Committee where, once the Democrats won the 116th Congressional House race, he became the Chairman. With this newfound power and over the last 10 months of his life he became a staple of congressional subpoenas and their subsequent testimonies.

He is survived by his wife of 10 years Maya Cummings, and his 3 children before his marriage to Maya Cummings. He predeceased his nephew Christopher Cummings.