Chelsea Manning is challenging Maryland Democratic Senator Benjamin L Cardin in the 2018 elections


Whistleblower and torture survivor Chelsea Manning has filed papers to challenge Senator Benjamin L Cardin for his seat in the 2018 midterm elections.


Cardin has served as a Maryland Senator since 2007, and was in the Maryland state government and then a Congressman from Maryland for 20 years prior to that, with $2m on hand and a 50% approval rating, making him difficult to challenge.


Manning, who's standing as a Democrat, is one of four candidates hoping to take his seat in 2018.


The day after Manning filed her candidacy, the television network Showtime announced that later this year it would air a documentary called “XY Chelsea” that follows her release from prison. Among the documentary’s executive producers is Laura Poitras, who produced “Citizenfour,” a documentary about another famous leaker, Edward Snowden.

Chelsea Manning, convicted of giving military documents to WikiLeaks, files to run for U.S. Senate in Maryland [Scott Dance/LA Times]

(Image: Tim Travers Hawkins, CC-BY-SA)