Maryland Democrats chose public policy consultant Maya Rockeymoore Cummings to lead their party with a vote Saturday of the state central committee.

Rockeymoore Cummings defeated incumbent Kathleen Matthews, a Montgomery County businesswoman, to become chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party for the next four years.

Maryland Democrats are united and strong, Rockeymoore Cummings said in a statement after her victory.

“I promised Democrats across Maryland that I would listen to them, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” she said. “I will continue reaching out to our committees, our elected officials, and our voters to develop my Go DEEP Plan, so that we enter the new year with a concrete plan of action, and begin making progress for Democratic victories across the state in 2020 and beyond.”

She was elected during a meeting of party leaders Saturday in Prince George’s County.

The vote for her as chair was 438 to 319.

In her own statement, Matthews pledged support for her successor.

“I stand ready to work with Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings to ensure that we double down on our progress to elect Democrats statewide,” she said.

“I am also excited about the dozens of rising stars who have entered the race for party leadership. This is proof that the future of the Maryland Democratic Party has never been brighter.”

Rockeymoore Cummings owns a consulting firm in D.C. called Global Policy Solutions, and she briefly ran for governor last year.

She worked on Capitol Hill as chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel, a New York Democrat, and on the staff of the House Ways & Means Committee. She is married to Rep. Elijah Cummings of Baltimore.

In addition, incoming state Sen. Cory McCray of Baltimore was elected vice chair of the party.

Allison Galbraith was elected second vice-chair. She had been a Democratic candidate to challenge U.S. Rep. Andy Harris of Baltimore County.

Other Democrats elected to leadership positions include Nicole Williams, third vice-chair; Robbie Leonard, secretary; Abena McAllister, deputy secretary; Bob Kresslein, treasurer; and Jeffrey Slavin, deputy treasurer.

tprudente@baltsun.com

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