After 7 years in prison, Chelsea Manning is not just a free woman— she’s a potential Senator. As reported by Daniel Kreps of the Rolling Stone, Manning has submitted paperwork to run for Senate in accordance with the Federal Elections Commission.

In 2013, Manning made news when she leaked over 700,000 military files to Wikileaks containing classified or sensitive information. Sourced from a classified Army computer network, the files were downloaded by Manning whilst she was stationed in Iraq in 2010 as an intelligence analyst. The files exposed criminal action in Iraq on the part of the United States; notably, they highlighted the compliance of US forces towards Iraqi abuse of detainees and a deliberate skewing of civilian casualty data.

Public opinion surrounding Manning’s actions was mixed; while some condemned her as a traitor, others enshrined her as a hero, supporting the larger cause of whistleblowers in the US.

The opinion of both sides manifested legally in Manning’s case; although she was initially sentenced to 35 years in prison for her actions, her term was commuted by President Obama after seven. Since her release from prison in May of 2017, the 29-year-old Manning has faced the challenges of re-starting her life under the intense scrutiny of the public eye.

Manning’s story becomes more complicated when her status as a prominent transgender figure is considered. Although she entered the US Army as Bradley Manning, she gained the legal recognization of Chelsea Manning while in prison in 2014. Her fight to gain both respect as a transgender service member and treatment while serving her prison term is pivotal to her story and the public response to it.

As rumors of Manning’s name on the ballot have circulated, one question has been highlighted: is it legal? Although Manning’s prison sentence was commuted under the Obama administration, her conviction under the Espionage Act still stands. No federal legislation or constitutional provisions prohibit those with a criminal record from running for public office. In Maryland, where Manning plans to run, the only requirements for Senate candidacy are that the contender be over 30 years old, a 9-year US citizen, and a current Maryland resident.

The issue of Manning’s criminal record seem to cater to the question of whether she’ll run successfully rather than whether she’ll run at all. For more conservative voters, whistleblowing may be considered an especially egregious offense, one that runs counter to the esteemed principles of national security and respect for the law. However, Manning’s conviction may be an asset when it comes to the approach of the more liberal voting populous; in a way, the intervention of President Obama legitimatized her actions. Now, she has the opportunity to construct herself as a martyr who gave some of the best years of her life to the prison system in the name of humanitarian justice.

Position on the political spectrum aside, Maryland voters will face difficulty in the primary as Manning faces off against incumbent Ben Cardin. The Democratic Cardin, who has served two consecutive terms in the Senate, is a household name in Maryland; in his last election, he defeated his Republican opponent by a margin of 30 points.

How the voters of Maryland will choose to approach Manning's candidacy is unpredictable; however, if she wins, there’s no doubt that her name will be enshrined in US history for better or for worse.