U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume hopes to represent 7th congressional district for another term

U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume is making his case to represent Maryland's 7th congressional district for another term.

Mfume says his experience and seniority in Washington have helped deliver results for the country and for Baltimore. However, he said his work in the office is far from over.

Rep. Mfume's campaign agenda

Currently, Rep. Mfume describes the state of the country as "not far from a nightmare."

"It's been difficult in terms of trying to get the Republican members of Congress to stand up against the president, but we continue to fight and push back anyway," Mfume said. "So, my fear is that if things don't turn around in the November elections, we may be further down a slope that none of us wanted to get into."

Mfume hopes to retain his seat in the upcoming election to push back against the president's policies and focus on more pressing issues, including the affordability of energy, gas, healthcare, and groceries.

"We need a Congress that is going to make sure that healthcare benefits are restored for the 34 million people who lost them because the Republicans did not want to keep Obamacare," Mfume said. "We've got to understand also for young people who are trying to find a way to get a mortgage or buy a home or just try to go to college, we have to find a way to make that easier for them."

Also on Mfume's agenda is to amend what some might call "damaged relationships" with other countries.

As a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mfume says America must take a more measured approach overseas, relying on diplomacy instead of conflict.

"There is good and bad in America's approach, we have to be able to talk about that but foreign affairs ought not be warm today, cold tomorrow," Mfume said. "Because we say to our allies, you can't trust us, you don't know what we're going to do."

Focus on Maryland's 7th congressional district

Among Mfume's top priorities are the people in Maryland's District 7.

"We're spending billions of dollars around the globe. We have to find a way to take care of those folks who are here at home, who get up every morning," Mfume said. "They're regular people, they put on their clothes, they go to work, or they go to school, and they believe at the end of the day that it's all worth everything."

Since returning to Congress in 2020, Mfume says he's helped bring critical federal dollars back to the city, starting with COVID-19 pandemic relief and continuing with funding for schools, community organizations and public safety programs.

"People around the country are admiring now what Baltimore has done in terms of reducing murders, gun violence, and shootings and all that," Mfume said. "We need to continue on that path."

Rep. Mfume's track record

Mfume served as U.S. Representative from 1987 to 1996 before leaving his seat to become the president and CEO of the NAACP. He returned to his seat in Congress in 2020.

Mfume says his experience serving the people of Maryland and the country speaks for itself.

"Everybody knows me," Mfume said. "They know where I am on issues. They can usually count on me over and over and over again."

But perhaps even more important than delivering results, he says, is delivering hope in a time where he worries some might feel all hope is lost.

"It gives spirit to the spiritless, it gives energy and vitality to those that want to believe that their push back will make a difference, but most of all, it's just so inspirational that it makes you think not so much about how bad things are, but how great things can become if we all work together," Mfume said.