Maryland's 7th Congressional District special election, 2020

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Kweisi Mfume (D) defeated Kimberly Klacik (R) in the special general election for Mayland’s 7th Congressional District and filled the vacancy left by Elijah Cummings (D), who died in October 2019.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Maryland Board of Elections authorized the sending of mail-in ballots to all voters. Although election officials encouraged voters to cast their ballots by mail, there were three in-person voting centers open for anyone unable to cast a mail ballot (such as residents without mailing addresses or voters requiring special assistance at the polls).^[1] Ballots were quarantined for 24 hours after they were received before they were counted.

Going into the election, the Democratic Party controlled the 7th Congressional District since 1953 when the seat was re-added to Maryland's district map after the 1950 census. Between 1843 and 1953, the size of Maryland's congressional delegation fluctuated between five and six members.^[2] In the 2018 general election, Cummings defeated Richmond Davis (R) 76% to 21%. The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+26, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 26 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Maryland's 7th Congressional District the 41st-most Democratic nationally.^[3]

There were 10 special elections called during the 116th Congress. Eight were called for seats in the U.S. House, and two for seats in the U.S. Senate. From the 113th Congress to the 115th Congress, 40 special elections were held. For more data on historical congressional special elections, click here.

Maryland's 7th Congressional District contains portions of Howard and Baltimore counties and parts of the city of Baltimore.^[4]

For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

For more on regularly scheduled elections in 2020, please see:

United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland, 2020

Responses to the coronavirus pandemic

See also: Ballotpedia: Political responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020


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April 13, 2020: Maryland authorizes limited in-person voting in special 7th Congressional District election

On April 13, 2020, the Maryland State Board of Elections authorized limited in-person voting in the special election for Maryland's 7th Congressional District. The board of elections voted to limit access to in-person voting to those who could not vote by mail (such as residents without mailing addresses or voters requiring special assistance at the polls).^[5]

March 17, 2020: Maryland authorizes mail-in voting for special election

Governor Larry Hogan (R) announced that the special election for Maryland's 7th Congressional District would proceed as scheduled using a vote-by-mail system. Maryland state law permits the governor to postpone elections and alter administration procedures without legislative approval.^[6]^[7]

Candidates and election results

General election

Special general election for U.S. House Maryland District 7

Kweisi Mfume defeated Kim Klacik in the special general election for U.S. House Maryland District 7 on April 28, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Kweisi Mfume (D)	73.8	111,955
	Kim Klacik (R)	25.1	38,102
	Other/Write-in votes	1.1	1,661

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 151,718 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for U.S. House Maryland District 7

The following candidates ran in the special Democratic primary for U.S. House Maryland District 7 on February 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kweisi Mfume	43.0	31,415
		Maya Rockeymoore Cummings	17.1	12,524
		Jill Carter	16.0	11,708
		Terri L. Hill	7.4	5,439
		F. Michael Higginbotham	4.4	3,245
		Harry Spikes	3.5	2,572
		Saafir Rabb	1.8	1,327
		Jay Jalisi	1.7	1,257
		Talmadge Branch	1.1	810
		Mark Gosnell	0.8	579
		T. Dan Baker	0.5	377
	Submit photo	Charles Stokes	0.4	297
		Paul Konka	0.3	251
	Submit photo	Darryl Gonzalez	0.3	245
	Submit photo	Alicia Brown	0.2	180
	Submit photo	Leslie Grant	0.2	176
		Anthony Carter Sr.	0.2	155
	Submit photo	Jay Fred Cohen	0.2	150
	Submit photo	Matko Lee Chullin III	0.1	79
		Charles Smith	0.1	75
		Adrian Petrus	0.1	60
	Submit photo	Nathaniel Costley Sr.	0.1	49
	Submit photo	Dan Hiegel	0.0	31
	Submit photo	Jermyn Michael Davidson	0.0	31

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 73,032
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Special Republican primary for U.S. House Maryland District 7

The following candidates ran in the special Republican primary for U.S. House Maryland District 7 on February 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kim Klacik	40.2	4,525
		Elizabeth Matory	24.3	2,740
	Submit photo	James Arnold	12.4	1,401
		Reba Hawkins	8.1	913
		Christopher Anderson	7.6	852
		William Newton	3.7	414
		Ray Bly	2.1	236
	Submit photo	Brian Brown	1.6	185

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 11,266
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.^[8] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.

Kim Klacik

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography: Klacik studied business at Bowie State University from 2000 to 2002 before transferring to the College of Southern Maryland to study hospitality administration and management. In 2013, she founded Potential Me, a non-profit that focuses on the workforce development of underserved women. As of the 2020 election cycle, Klacik was a member of the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Klacik said she wanted families to choose how children were educated, and that choice would be important after the coronavirus pandemic. She said she would "support school choice, vouchers, and a 100% tax credit for home schooling."

Klacik said the "American people have the right to protect their families against criminals and unwell individuals who may seek to harm them."

Klacik said she supported a private-sector plan for healthcare in which "any individual, including self-employed individuals, would be allowed to form associations for the purpose of purchasing group health insurance."

Show sources

Sources: Kimberly Klacik 2020 campaign website, "Campaign Issues," accessed April 7, 2020; LinkedIn, "Kimberly Klacik," accessed April 7, 2020 Kimberly Klacik 2020 campaign website, "Kimberly Klacik," accessed April 7, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Maryland District 7 in 2020.

Kweisi Mfume

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

Maryland's 7th Congressional District (1987-1996), Baltimore City Council (1978-1986)

Biography: Mfume earned a bachelor's degree from Morgan State University, and a master's in international studies from Johns Hopkins University. He also worked as president of the NAACP, chairman of the Morgan State University Board of Regents, and a member of the Johns Hopkins University Board of Trustees.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Mfume emphasized his prior experience representing the district. In an interview, he said he was "proven, tested, and ready to go to work on day one."

Mfume said that most, if not all, of his seniority would be restored to him if he were elected, and that he "knows most of the people in leadership positions in the House and Senate" since he served with them previously.

Mfume said, "I think I have a real grasp of the issues in a way that relates back to everyday people in the street." He said he would prioritize policies related to drug prices, labor, and immigration.

Show sources

Sources: Kweisi Mfume's 2020 campaign website, “Priorities,” accessed December 12, 2019; Kweisi Mfume's 2020 campaign website, “About Me,” accessed April 7, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Maryland District 7 in 2020.

Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name

Party

Receipts*

Disbursements**

Cash on hand

Date

Kweisi Mfume

Democratic Party

$0

Data not available***

Kim Klacik

Republican Party

$8,299,808

$7,502,417

$797,391

As of December 31, 2020

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," . This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.^[9]^[10]^[11]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was , meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were the national average. This made Maryland's 7th Congressional District special the nationally.^[12]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was . This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move points toward that party.^[13]

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.^[14]
Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.^[15]^[16]^[17]

Race ratings: Maryland's 7th Congressional District election, 2020
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 3, 2020	October 27, 2020	October 20, 2020	October 13, 2020
The Cook Political Report	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for 7th Congressional District candidates in Maryland in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Maryland, click here.

Filing requirements, 2020
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Signature formula	Filing fee	Filing fee formula	Filing deadline	Source
Maryland	7th Congressional District	Principal parties	0	N/A	$100.00	Fixed number	1/24/2020	Source
Maryland	7th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	2,532	1% of the eligible voters for the district (reduced by 50% by judge's order)	$100.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source

State profile

See also: Maryland and Maryland elections, 2019

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019

Presidential voting pattern

Maryland voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Congressional delegation

Following the 2018 elections, both U.S. senators from Maryland were Democrats.
Seven of Maryland's eight U.S. representatives were Democrats and one was a Republican.

State executives

Republicans held three of Maryland's 10 state executive offices, and Democrats controlled two. The other five offices were nonpartisan.
Maryland's governor was Republican Larry Hogan.

State legislature

Democrats controlled the Maryland State Senate with a 32-15 majority.
Democrats controlled the Maryland House of Delegates with a 98-42 majority.

Maryland Party Control: 1992-2025
Twenty-two years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
Governor	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
House	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

Maryland quick stats

Became a state in 1788
7th state admitted to the United States
Annapolis,Maryland, served as the nation's capital from November 26, 1783, to August 19, 1784.
Members of the Maryland State Senate: 47
Members of the Maryland House of Delegates: 141
U.S. senators: 2
U.S. representatives: 8

More Maryland coverage on Ballotpedia:

Maryland elections, 2019
Presidential voting trends in Maryland
United States congressional delegations from Maryland
Public policy in Maryland
Influencers in Maryland
Almanac of American Politics state profile
More...

Demographic data for Maryland
	Maryland	U.S.
Total population:	5,994,983	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	9,707	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	57.6%	73.6%
Black/African American:	29.5%	12.6%
Asian:	6%	5.1%
Native American:	0.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	3%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	9%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	89.4%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	37.9%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$74,551	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	10.7%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Maryland. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

District history