BALTIMORE _ Tuesday's special primary to choose nominees to fill the seat of a powerful Baltimore congressman ended an intense, 11-week campaign, with voters choosing from a large field of candidates to succeed the late Elijah Cummings. They included three people who were close to Cummings, as well as a progressive state senator making a strong push for higher office and a law professor rising above the political unknowns with a largely self-funded campaign.
Baltimore-area voters went to the polls to choose both a Democratic and a Republican nominee for the 7th Congressional District seat long held by Cummings. There were 24 Democrats and eight Republican candidates. The polls closed at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
In addition to the large fields and the short race (the primary was scheduled after Cummings' death Oct. 17), candidates and voters grappled with distractions that ranged from the impeachment of Republican President Donald Trump to the winter holidays to campaigning by candidates in Baltimore's April mayoral primary.
Another issue for voters to puzzle out was that this primary was just for the remainder of Cummings' two-year term, with a special general election scheduled for April 28. And that's the same day as a regular primary for a new, full term beginning in January.
All of that may have affected voters' decision-making, and fewer voters were expected to show up for an election with just one contest on the ballot. Several voters interviewed heading into the polls said they hadn't made a choice yet.
As of 5 p.m., 59,336 people had voted in the district, which includes parts of Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Howard County. That total represented 14% of the district's 422,430 registered voters, although only registered Democrats and Republicans were allowed to vote in the primary.
At least there wasn't bad weather to keep voters at home; unseasonably warm February temperatures exceeded 60 degrees.
Among the candidates was Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, the congressman's widow and a former Maryland Democratic Party chairwoman. She said her platform was tied to finishing tasks that her husband started. Other Democratic contenders included Kweisi Mfume, a close friend of Cummings who held the 7th District seat for 10 years before stepping down to lead the national NAACP, and longtime Cummings staffer Harry Spikes.
Spikes was endorsed by Cummings' daughters and one of his sisters, while two other sisters of the late congressman said they supported Mfume.
Other Democratic candidates included state Sen. Jill P. Carter of Baltimore, a progressive who was a 2016 Bernie Sanders delegate; University of Baltimore law professor F. Michael Higginbotham, who contributed $506,000 to his own campaign, and state Delegate Terri L. Hill, a physician from Howard County.
Democrats hold a 4-1 voter registration advantage in the district, meaning the party's nominee will hold a huge advantage in the special general election April 28. But Tuesday's Democratic nominee will likely face stiff opposition the same day in the regular primary for the new term starting next year. Most of the candidates who filed to run in the special primary also filed to run in the regular primary, essentially setting up a rematch _ albeit for a different term _ nearly three months from now.
The April 28 election is expected to have sharply higher turnout than Tuesday's because it will include a number of contests, including a presidential primary and the municipal races in Baltimore.
Cummings was known for his advocacy on behalf of his hometown of Baltimore and civil rights. He was chairman of one of three House committees that led the impeachment inquiry into Trump.
In July, Trump sharply criticized Cummings and the 7th District, which the president called "rat and rodent infested."
State Democrats defended Cummings, and Tuesday's contest seemed partly a race to see which Democrat could most closely associate themselves with the popular late representative.
Some Democratic voters on Tuesday said Trump's comments about the district motivated them to come the polls.
Baltimore native Lindsay Walker, who works at an employee benefits firm, said she and other Baltimoreans grew accustomed to Cummings. She hoped his successor would uphold his legacy _ particularly after the president's comments.
"After what Trump said about Baltimore, I found it upsetting, like most people, so I think more than ever that finding somebody to continue (Cummings') work in the area is important," said Walker, 42.
Still, she was "on the fence" about who to vote for.
"I just feel like I need to get in the booth and really look at it and then make a decision in there," she said
The Republican candidates included Liz Matory, who was the 2018 Republican nominee for the 2nd Congressional District seat held by U.S. Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger; Kimberly Klacik, who runs a nonprofit focused on workforce development for disadvantaged women; and Reba A. Hawkins, a community activist and entrepreneur.
