(CNN) The widow of the late Rep. Elijah Cummings will lose a crowded special Democratic primary election Tuesday for a chance to serve the remainder of her husband's term in Congress.

Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, a former chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party, was among 24 candidates in the special election vying for the seat.

Kweisi Mfume, a former congressman and president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, easily won the nomination with more than 40% of the vote. Mfume last served in Congress in 1996.

Mfume will face Republican Kimberly Klacik in the April special election, who topped the field of eight running for the Republican nomination.

The winner of the April special election will fill Cummings' seat in the 7th Congressional District through January 2021. The Baltimore-area district is considered safely Democratic.

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