BALTIMORE (AP) — Kweisi Mfume made no secret when he stepped
down as president of the NAACP that his sights were set on a Senate
seat. But the former congressman said he would wait for Democratic
Sen. Paul Sarbanes to decide whether he would stay or go.
Three days after Sarbanes, 72, announced that he would not seek
a sixth term, Mfume set a news conference Monday at Baltimore’s
Camden Yards baseball stadium to announce his intentions.
Mfume, 56, left the House in 1996 after five terms to become
president of the Baltimore-based National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People.
At the time, the group was in turmoil — rocked by an
embarrassing sex scandal involving its previous head, bitter
internal strife and a crippling $3.2 million deficit.
Many observers say Mfume brought credibility and stability,
working to institute corporate style-management practices. When he
stepped down in November, the organization had enjoyed a budget
surplus for eight consecutive years and an increasing endowment
fund.
Mfume, whose adopted West African name translates to
“conquering son of kings,” began his career as a dashiki-clad
radio talk show host and political activist in the 1970s.
He also has been mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate
for governor of Maryland.
Maryland traditionally votes Democratic, and went for John Kerry
in the 2004 presidential election. Sarbanes, the longest serving
senator in Maryland’s history, is serving alongside outspoken
Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski.