- Originally published in Roll Call December 6, 2004
Copyright 2004 Roll Call, Inc.
By Erin P. Billings and Josh Kurtz ROLL CALL STAFF
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) has been approached about taking the helm
of the NAACP when current President Kweisi Mfume steps down at the end
of the year.
Cummings,
who succeeded Mfume in the House in 1996, said he's happy in Congress
but wouldn't rule out a bid to head the nation's most prominent civil
rights organizations. The Maryland lawmaker is nearing the end of his
term as the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and the NAACP
job could afford him the opportunity to maintain a high-profile
political role, sources in and outside of Congress said.
"It's
certainly something I would have to take a look at," Cummings said. "It
would be a rare opportunity to come along, a rare opportunity to move
into a position like that."
Cummings
said it is a critical time in the history of the civil rights
organization - a time that requires a strong leader, whomever that may
be. The next president, he said, must be politically savvy, possess a
strong voice on civil rights and bring a "strong sense of the
organization's history." The NAACP is based in Baltimore, Cummings' home town.
Rep.
Albert Wynn (D-Md.) said that if Cummings is interested in the post, he
would be "an excellent candidate" and "a good voice for the NAACP."
"He's
got tremendous commitment to the cause of civil rights and civil
justice, and he has a strong profile as part of his work as chairman of
the Congressional Black Caucus," Wynn said.
As
the 95-year-old civil rights organization begins its search for a new
leader, Cummings is considered the strongest pick among Members of
Congress. Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) have
also been mentioned as possible candidates, although sources said Lewis
is not interested.
Regardless of what
Cummings does, Mfume's announcement last week signals the beginning of
Maryland's 2006 election season. And Cummings' departure for the NAACP
would set off a multicandidate scramble in a 7th district special
election, similar to the scrum that took place when Cummings, then
Speaker Pro Tem of the state House, topped a crowded field in a special
election Democratic primary in 1996.
By leaving the NAACP
at the beginning of the '06 cycle, Mfume has vaulted to the front of
the pack of potential successors should five-term Sen. Paul Sarbanes
(D) choose not to run for re-election in two years, and he must also be
considered the frontrunner in the 2008 Baltimore mayoral election if
that job is vacant. One leading Maryland Democrat, speaking on the
condition of anonymity, said he is "80 percent sure" Mfume would
challenge Sarbanes in a Democratic primary if the veteran Senator
sought a record-breaking sixth term.
"He's
in an enviable position," said Maryland state Sen. Lisa Gladden (D).
"But the timing of his departure is interesting. It's at the time when
a person who is interested in running for statewide office would start
raising money."
Since leaving Congress,
Mfume has maintained his old campaign account, enabling him to
contribute to state and local candidates in Maryland while heading the
nonpartisan NAACP. The fund had $99,000 in it as of Sept. 30.
But
an Mfume political comeback - he spent eight years on the Baltimore
City Council and nine in Congress before taking over the NAACP
- is by no means guaranteed. The 56-year-old civil rights leader said
last week that he is considering a range of options in his quest for
"another chance to make a difference," and is in no hurry to make a
decision.
"I think he could transform
himself into anything, including a corporate CEO," said Barry Rascovar,
a Baltimore-based communications strategist and columnist for The
Gazette newspapers.
Still, Mfume's departure from the NAACP
has to be considered a blow to the handful of other ambitious Democrats
who would look long and hard at running for Senate if Sarbanes moves on.
Wynn
has all but said he will run for the Senate if Sarbanes retires. Other
Democratic House Members, including Cummings, Benjamin Cardin and Chris
Van Hollen, must also be considered potential candidates. Baltimore
Mayor Martin O'Malley (D) is gearing up to run for governor in 2006 but
could pivot to join an open-seat Senate race.
"They're
all going to be watching Kweisi now," said Rascovar, who predicted that
Mfume could reasonably expect to get three-quarters of the vote in
Baltimore in an open-seat Senate primary. "I hate to use the trite
phrase, but he's become the 800-pound gorilla."
Sarbanes
has given no hint about his plans for 2006. He had just $22,000 in his
campaign account as of Sept. 30, but has traditionally not begun
raising money until the fifth year of his terms.
"We just had an election a few weeks ago and it's too early to say anything about 2006," said Sarbanes' spokesman, Jesse Jacobs.
Many Democratic leaders believe Sarbanes will run again in two years, when he will be 73 years old.
Sources said that one of the things Cummings is weighing about the NAACP
job is whether taking it would hinder his ability to run for the Senate
at some point in the future. They also said Cummings would have to give
serious thought to sacrificing his place in Congress.
"It
would have to be right terms and right deal - everything would have to
be right for him to give up seat in Congress," said a knowledgeable
House Democratic staffer. "He'd definitely be interested if it's the
right dynamics."
Cummings was a key ally
to Sen. John Kerry (Mass.) after he secured the Democratic presidential
nomination and helped boost his capital with minority voters -
prompting many to speculate that the Maryland lawmaker would have had a
good shot at a slot in a Democratic administration. With that off the
table, many sources say the NAACP job may be just the right opportunity for Cummings.
Cummings stressed that he hasn't mounted any kind of campaign for the NAACP
job. Rather, he said friends, fellow lawmakers and board members have
approached him and asked him to consider it - and he said he is
"honored and humbled" by their interest.
"The
question I would ask is, 'Does it afford me the opportunity to be the
most effective with my efforts, my resources and my time?'" Cummings
said.
Arthur Murphy, a Maryland political consultant and former president of the local NAACP
chapter in Baltimore, said he doubts that Cummings would leave the
House, but added that "everybody and their mother will run" if the
Congressman departs.
With all the
important action certain to be in the Democratic primary, the potential
candidates include: Gladden; state Del. Talmadge Branch; Baltimore City
Clerk of Courts Frank Conaway; state Sen. Joan Carter Conway; Baltimore
City Council President Sheila Dixon (aunt of Juan Dixon of the
Washington Wizards); state Del. Salima Siler Marriott; state Senate
Majority Leader Nathaniel McFadden; Baltimore City Councilman Kieffer
Mitchell - a nephew of former Rep. Parren Mitchell (D-Md.), who held
the seat before Mfume; former Judge Billy Murphy - Arthur Murphy's
brother; Baltimore City Comptroller Joan Pratt; Baltimore City
Councilwoman Stephanie Rawlings-Blake; the Rev. Frank Reid III, who was
runner-up to Cummings in the 1996 special primary; and former Maryland
Public Safety Secretary Stu Simms.
All of
the potential candidates who have been mentioned so far are black. But
following the latest round of redistricting, the population of the 7th
district is now less than 60 percent black and takes in some white
suburbs and rural areas - meaning a prominent white candidate could
jump into the race with the hope that the black vote is split among
several contenders.
Gladden, who said
she'd prefer to remain in the state Senate for now, said that Cummings,
who is 53, has acted as a mentor to many younger minority politicians
in Maryland and is unlikely to try to anoint a successor.
Asked
whether he finds it interesting that he shares a similar resume to
Mfume, who also served as chairman of the CBC, Cummings replied:
"Nothing happens by accident. I believe there's already a path set for
you and if that path so happens to look similar to someone else's, so
be it."