Manning always faced an uphill battle against the incumbent Cardin. She lagged badly in fundraising and faced questions about how active she really was on the campaign trail. But the Manning campaign did attract national attention and some enthusiasm from liberal activists both in and outside of Maryland.
Then known as Bradley Manning, the Army intelligence analyst was convicted of leaking classified documents. Manning was hailed as a whistleblower by supporters and condemned as a threat to national security by critics.
President Barack Obama commuted Manning’s sentence. Manning transitioned into a woman, took the name Chelsea, and became an advocate for LGBT rights as well as enhanced privacy protections.
