Chelsea Manning officially files for US Senate race

The state elections board website says Manning filed Thursday in Montgomery County. (Photo By Tim Travers Hawkins, CC BY-SA 4.0)

BETHESDA, Md.— Chelsea Manning has officially filed to run for the U.S. Senate in the 2018 Maryland Democratic primary.

The state elections board website says Manning filed Thursday in Montgomery County. Manning also tweeted a photo Thursday evening saying she is officially on the ballot.

The transgender woman, known as Bradley Manning when she was convicted in 2013 of leaking more than 700,000 classified documents, was released from military prison in May after a 35-year sentence was commuted. Then-U.S. President Barack Obama commuted her sentence to time served plus 120 days in the final days of his administration.

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he looks forward to a “strong campaign” against Manning or any other contenders. Cardin won his seat in an open race in 2006.