Elijah Cummings (D-Md) died at 2:45 a.m Thursday morning at John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, from “complications concerning longstanding health challenges”.

Congressman Cummings “began his career of public service in the Maryland House of Delegates, where he served for 14 years and became the first African American in Maryland history to be named Speaker Pro Tem. Since 1996, Congressman Cummings has proudly represented Maryland’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.”

Following his passing, Democrats and Republicans across the board paid their tributes. Even President Donald Trump of whom Cummings was particularly critical said Cummings was “very hard, if not impossible to replace”.

CBS News reported “Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, the chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party and Cummings’ wife, said in a statement that Cummings was “an honorable man who proudly served his district and the nation with dignity, integrity, compassion, and humility.”

Democratic presidential candidates took to Twitter to mourn the long-time representative from Baltimore. According to The Hill,

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) was the first candidate to issue a statement on the House Oversight and Reform Committee chairman’s passing, calling Cummings a “giant” in an early morning tweet.

“Congressman Elijah Cummings was a fearless leader, a protector of democracy, and a fighter for the people of Maryland. Our world is dimmer without him in it,” Harris tweeted.

We lost a giant today. Congressman Elijah Cummings was a fearless leader, a protector of democracy, and a fighter for the people of Maryland. Our world is dimmer without him in it.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 17, 2019

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) described Cummings as “a lion.”

We’ve lost a leader like no other. Elijah Cummings was a lion when standing up for his beloved Baltimore & rights & truth. But he was also so kind, including to brand new senators like me a decade ago. His advice was as true as his love for his country. https://t.co/T5pLt24Jjv

— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) October 17, 2019

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) tweeted that she was “very sad” by the news of Cummings’s passing and offered condolences to the Maryland Democrat’s family.

Read more here.