Chelsea Manning Files To Run For Senate In Maryland

Chelsea Manning has announced that she will be running for U.S. Senate in Maryland in 2018…
 
Chelsea Manning, the hacker who released important classified information to the public via Wikileaks, has filed to run for Senate of Maryland in 2018.
 
Manning will challenge the current state’s senior senator, Democrat Ben Cardin, who has already served two six-year terms as Maryland’s senator. The state’s Democratic primary election will be held on June 26.
 
The 30-year old is one of four Democratic candidates for Maryland’s Senate, including Jerry Segal, Richard Vaughn, and Debbie Wilson.
 
The convicted whistleblower has received a wave of backlash from conservatives, including President Donald Trump, who claim she is a traitor to the United States government. Many more feel Manning is an American hero and have taken to social media to support her candidacy.
 
Manning released a campaign ad this past Sunday, recognizing the current social and political climate of the United States. Her tagline #WEGOTTHIS affirms she will stand up and challenge the current political norms.
 
The campaign video is age restricted on YouTube, as it is claimed to be ‘inappropriate for some viewers.’
 
In 2013, Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for her role in leaking almost 750,000 government documents, which were either classified or sensitive to the general public. The former U.S. soldier was released from Fort Leavenworth’s maximum security prison in May of 2017, after President Barack Obama commuted her sentence one year prior.
 
Manning’s sentence was the longest imposed in a leaked case, which President Obama has called “very disproportionate.”
 
Manning claims her cause for releasing government documents to the public was to insight public debate over US foreign affairs. Her actions and her case continue to polarize political debates across the United States.
 
Manning is a transgender woman, formerly known as Bradley Manning. Since her release, Manning has written extensively on issues such as free speech, civil liberties, LGBTQ rights, and computer security for publications.