Maya Rockeymoore

Maya Michelle Rockeymoore Cummings (born January 31, 1971) is an American consultant, politician, and former chair of the Maryland Democratic Party in the United States. Before her election as party chair, she briefly ran for Governor of Maryland. She owns a Washington, D.C.–based consulting firm.

Rockeymore Cummings was a candidate in the 2020 Maryland 7th congressional district special election to fill out the term of her late husband, Elijah Cummings, and was also a candidate in the overlapping regular 2020 election for the same congressional seat.

Early life and career

Rockeymore Cummings graduated from John Jay High School in San Antonio, Texas. She earned her bachelor's degree from Prairie View A&M University, and then attended Purdue University, where she studied political science. She earned a master's degree in 1996 and a Doctor of Philosophy in political science, with an emphasis in public policy, in 2000.

Career

From 1995 to 1997, Rockeymoore Cummings was the Administrative Assistant to the Director at the Marion County, Indiana Department of Health. In September 1997, she then moved to Washington, D.C., and became a legislative fellow for the Congressional Black Caucus under former Rep. Melvin Watt. In 1998, she moved to the United States House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security as a professional staffer, until January 1999, at which time she began working as the Chief of Staff for former Congressman Charles Rangel.

In 2017, Rockeymoore Cummings announced she would run for governor of Maryland in the 2018 election. She received an endorsement from EMILY's List when she ran for Governor of Maryland. In January 2018, after her husband was hospitalized she dropped out of the race.

In December 2018, Rockeymoore Cummings was elected as chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, succeeding Kathleen Matthews. Under her leadership the party was overspending and its bank balance fell from $700,000 to $360,000.

On November 11, 2019, she announced on ''The Rachel Maddow Show'' that she would stand in the 2020 Maryland's 7th congressional district special election, to campaign for the seat previously held by her husband. In the February 4, 2020 Democratic primary Rockeymoore Cummings finished second to Kweisi Mfume who went on to win the April 28, 2020 special election. She was also a candidate for a full term of the same seat in the June 6 Democratic primary.

Personal life

Rockeymoore married Elijah Cummings, a member of the United States House of Representatives who represented , in 2008. They remained married until his death in 2019. Rep. Cummings had three children from earlier relationships. Rockeymoore has no relation to said children.

Her father Thomas was a Commissioned Officer in the Air Force, her brother is an English Teacher at San Marcos High School in Texas and her sister Meredith is a Pain Management Physician at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, and is Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas School of Osteopathic Medicine.

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cummings, Maya Rockeymoore
1971 births
African-American people in Maryland politics
Living people
Maryland Democratic Party chairs
Maryland Democrats
Prairie View A&M University alumni
Purdue University alumni
Women in Maryland politics
21st-century African-American politicians
21st-century African-American women politicians
21st-century American women politicians
20th-century African-American politicians
20th-century African-American women politicians
20th-century American women politicians
John Jay High School (San Antonio) alumni
Candidates in the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections