Tag: North Bethesda, Maryland

She's free to grow out her hair, travel the world, and spend time with whomever she likes. Far from it: The Oklahoma native has decided to make an unlikely bid for the U.S. Senate in her adopted state of Maryland. She lives in North Bethesda, not far from where she stayed with an aunt while awaiting trial. "The rise of authoritarianism is encroaching in every aspect of life, whether it's government or corporate or technological," Manning told The Associated Press during an interview at her home in an upscale apartment tower. On the walls of her barely furnished living room hang Obama's commutation order, and photos of U.S. anarchist Emma Goldman and British playwright Oscar Wilde. Manning's longshot campaign for the June 26 primary would appear to be one of the more unorthodox U.S. Senate bids in recent memory, and the candidate is operating well outside the party's playbook. She says she doesn't, in fact, even consider herself a Democrat, but is motivated by a desire to shake up establishment Democrats who are "caving in" to President Donald Trump's administration. "It feels to me almost like it's part of a book tour — that this is her moment after being released from prison," said Dana Beyer, a transgender woman who leads the Gender Rights Maryland nonprofit and is a Democratic candidate for state senate. Manning is indeed working on a book about her dramatic life. She told attendees she's still struggling to adjust to life after prison and hasn't gotten used to her celebrity status yet.