A former chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People could run for the open Senate seat in Maryland created by the impending retirement of Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), according to The New York Times.
{mosads}Benjamin Jealous took over the group in 2008, becoming a notably public face due to his visibility after the death of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager killed in an altercation with a neighborhood watch volunteer. He resigned in 2013 to spend more time with his family and is now working for an Oakland venture capital company.
Jealous wouldn’t comment to the Times, but the paper spoke to confidants who said he was weighing a bid. He has some notoriety in the state because the NAACP, under his leadership, successfully lobbied Maryland to end its death penalty. The group’s national headquarters is located in Baltimore.
Mikulski’s decision to retire at the end of her term has set off a scramble within the Maryland political world. The only high-profile name to rule out a bid is former Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley, who is flirting with a presidential bid.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) officially announced his candidacy, but a number of other members of the Maryland congressional delegation, including Democratic Reps. Donna Edwards, John Sarbanes and John Delaney, have also expressed interest.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Labor Secretary Tom Perez, former Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend have also been floated as potential candidates.