The long-time Baltimore Democrat, Elijah Cummings, has died at the age of 68. Cummings passed away Thursday after suffering complications arising from long standing health challenges, according to his office.
Cummings served in the Maryland House of Delegates for some 14 years, before winning his congressional seat in a 1996 special election, defeating Kweisi Mfume. An early supporter of Barack Obama’s presidential bid, Cummings remained a long-serving advocate for the betterment of his local communities.
He was also a follower of Jesus and keen member of New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore. The politician was boldly “driven by his faith,” according to a Washington Post obituary, and was “secure in his conviction that history would recognize his resolve to stand up for what he believed was right.”
Tributes to have been pouring in from public figures across the country, with many social media users urging people to memorialize Cummings beyond his latter spats with President Trump. “Do not minimize Elijah Cummings’ life and legacy to the impeachment inquiry. Just don’t,” one wrote.
“He worked until his last breath because he believed our democracy was the highest and best expression of our collective humanity and that our nation’s diversity was our promise, not our problem,” Cummings’ wife, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, said in a statement. “I loved him deeply and will miss him dearly.”
Please keep the Cummings family in your prayers during this difficult time.