Former Rep. Trey Gowdy Harold (Trey) Watson GowdySunday shows preview: Election integrity dominates as Nov. 3 nears Tim Scott invokes Breonna Taylor, George Floyd in Trump convention speech Sunday shows preview: Republicans gear up for national convention, USPS debate continues in Washington MORE (R-S.C.) paid tribute to his good friend former Rep. Elijah Cummings Elijah Eugene CummingsBlack GOP candidate accuses Behar of wearing black face in heated interview Overnight Health Care: US won't join global coronavirus vaccine initiative | Federal panel lays out initial priorities for COVID-19 vaccine distribution | NIH panel: 'Insufficient data' to show treatment touted by Trump works House Oversight Democrats to subpoena AbbVie in drug pricing probe MORE (D-Md.), who died Thursday at the age of 68.

In an op-ed that was published in The Washington Post on Friday, Gowdy described Cummings as a "fighter" and "formidable political opponent."

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"He was my friend, and it is that part of life working with Elijah that I will remember and cherish the best and the longest," Gowdy, who now runs a private law practice, added.

Filled with multiple anecdotes of his friendship with Cummings, Gowdy focused on how their differences of opinion and background only made the pair better friends.

"Members of Congress don’t always give advice to (or take advice from) one another," Gowdy said. "Most don’t have the kind of relationship where you can, but we did."

Gowdy continued: "We did because we tried to understand where the other had come from, what made us who we were, why we believed what we believed; and because we shared a respect for the law, the justice system and the institution of the House of Representatives."