# Maryland Democratic Party

The Maryland Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Maryland, headquartered in Annapolis. The current acting state party chair is Kenneth Ulman. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling all but one of Maryland's eight U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, all statewide executive offices and supermajorities in both houses of the state legislature.

## History

The Maryland Democratic Party is among the oldest continuously existing political organizations in the world. On May 21, 1827, a meeting of Andrew Jackson supporters organized a political structure in the state designed to help Jackson win the Presidency after he was denied victory in the 1824 United States presidential election despite winning the popular vote. The first meeting of the Democratic (Jackson) Central Committee was held at the Atheneum in Baltimore, located on the southwest corner of St. Paul and Lexington streets.
Twelve delegates from each county and six delegates from Baltimore were invited to attend. The label "Central Committee" was adopted along with a "Committee of Correspondence" which functioned like the present Executive Committee. Thomas M. Forman, Cecil County, was chosen to preside with William M. Beall, Frederick County, appointed Secretary and John S. Brooke, Prince George's County, appointed as Assistant Secretary. In addition to its founding, the Maryland Democratic Party hosted the first six Democratic National Conventions from 1832 to 1852 held in Baltimore. On May 31, 1838, Maryland Democrats gathered in a state party convention to nominate William Grason for Governor. He became the first popularly elected Governor in Maryland with the help of central committees throughout the state.
After the ratification of the Suffrage Amendment in 1920, the Democratic State Central Committee added an equal number of women to its membership, a practice still embodied in National Party Rules and in the elections for Cecil County Democratic State Central Committee.
The first six Democratic National Conventions were held in Baltimore, for a total of nine to date.
Historically the Democratic Party has been the dominant party in Maryland politics. Since the 1838 Maryland gubernatorial election, the first gubernatorial election in Maryland in which the governor was elected by direct popular vote, 28 Maryland Governors have been Democrats. Since the 1895 Maryland Comptroller election, the first Comptroller election in Maryland in which the Comptroller was elected by direct popular vote, 17 Maryland Comptrollers have been Democrats. Since the 1895 Maryland Attorney General election, the first Attorney General election in Maryland in which the Attorney General was elected by direct popular vote, 23 Attorneys General have been Democrats. The party has held continuous control of the Maryland General Assembly since 1920, the longest currently running streak of control by a single party of a state legislature in the United States.

## Elected officials
### Members of Congress

Democrats comprise nine of Maryland's ten-member Congressional delegation:

#### U.S. Senate

Since 1987, Democrats have controlled both of Maryland's seats in the U.S. Senate:
* Senior U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen
* Junior U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks

#### U.S. House of Representatives

Democrats hold seven of the eight seats Maryland is apportioned in the U.S. House following the 2000 census:
| District | Member |
| 2nd | Johnny Olszewski |
| 3rd | Sarah Elfreth |
| 4th | Glenn Ivey |
| 5th | Steny Hoyer |
| 6th | April McClain Delaney |
| 7th | Kweisi Mfume |
| 8th | Jamie Raskin |

### Statewide officeholders

Beginning in January 2023, Democrats control all four statewide offices:
* Governor: Wes Moore
* Lieutenant Governor: Aruna Miller
* Attorney General: Anthony Brown
* Comptroller: Brooke Lierman

### County government

Until 2010, the Democratic Party of Maryland held majority power at the County level. As of 2018 the Democrats only hold control in ten out of 23 Maryland's county governments in addition to Baltimore.

### Legislative leadership

* President of the Senate: Bill Ferguson
* President Pro Tempore of the Senate: Malcolm Augustine
* Senate Majority Leader: Nancy J. King
* Speaker of the House of Delegates: Adrienne A. Jones
* Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Delegates: Dana Stein
* House Majority Leader: David Moon
* House Majority Whip: Jazz Lewis

### Mayors

* Baltimore: Brandon Scott (1)

## Electoral performance
### Presidential

Maryland Democratic Party presidential election results :
| Election | Presidential ticket | Votes | Vote % | Electoral votes | Result |
| 1960 | John F. Kennedy/Lyndon B. Johnson | 565,808 | 53.61% | 9 / 9 | Won |
| 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson/Hubert Humphrey | 730,912 | 65.47% | 10 / 10 | Won |
| 1968 | Hubert Humphrey/Edmund Muskie | 538,310 | 43.59% | 10 / 10 | Lost |
| 1972 | George McGovern/Sargent Shriver | 505,781 | 37.36% | 0 / 10 | Lost |
| 1976 | Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale | 759,612 | 53.04% | 10 / 10 | Won |
| 1980 | Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale | 726,161 | 47.12% | 10 / 10 | Lost |
| 1984 | Walter Mondale/Geraldine Ferraro | 787,935 | 47.02% | 0 / 10 | Lost |
| 1988 | Michael Dukakis/Lloyd Bentsen | 826,304 | 48.20% | 0 / 10 | Lost |
| 1992 | Bill Clinton/Al Gore | 988,571 | 49.80% | 10 / 10 | Won |
| 1996 | Bill Clinton/Al Gore | 966,207 | 54.25% | 10 / 10 | Won |
| 2000 | Al Gore/Joe Lieberman | 1,145,782 | 56.57% | 10 / 10 | Lost |
| 2004 | John Kerry/John Edwards | 1,334,493 | 55.91% | 10 / 10 | Lost |
| 2008 | Barack Obama/Joe Biden | 1,629,467 | 61.92% | 10 / 10 | Won |
| 2012 | Barack Obama/Joe Biden | 1,677,844 | 61.97% | 10 / 10 | Won |
| 2016 | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 1,677,928 | 60.33% | 10 / 10 | Lost |
| 2020 | Joe Biden/Kamala Harris | 1,985,023 | 65.36% | 10 / 10 | Won |
| 2024 | Kamala Harris/Tim Walz | 1,902,577 | 62.62% | 10 / 10 | Lost |

## Party organization
### Party chairs (1988–present)

* Kenneth Ulman (2023–present)
* Everett Browning (acting) (2023)
* Yvette Lewis (2019–2023)
* Cory V. McCray (acting) (2019)
* Maya Rockeymoore Cummings (2018–2019)
* Kathleen Matthews, (2017-2018)
* Bruce Poole (2015–2017)
* Yvette Lewis (2011–2015)
* Peter O'Malley (2011)
* Susan Turnbull (2009–2011)
* Michael Cryor (2007–2009)
* Terry Lierman (2004–2007)
* Ike Leggett (2002–2004)
* Wayne Rogers (2000–2002)
* Peter B. Krauser (1997–2000)
* Gov. Harry Hughes (1994–1997)
* Vera Hall (1993–1994)
* Nate Landow (1988–1993)

### Party officers

* Party Chair: Kenneth Ulman
* First Vice Chair: Charlene Dukes
* Second Vice Chair: Judy Wixted
* Third Vice Chair: Ruben Amaya
* Treasurer: Devang Shah
* Secretary: Corynne Courpas
* Deputy Treasurer: Diana Emerson
* Deputy Secretary: Gabe Gough
* Parliamentarian: Greg Pecorara
* DNC Member: Bel Leong-Hong
* DNC Member: Robbie Leonard
* DNC Member: Bob Kresslein
* DNC Member: Cheryl S. Landis

### Party staff

* Executive Director: Karen Darkes
* Deputy Executive Director: Joe Francaviglia
* Fundraising Director: Aaron Jarboe
* Senior Advisor: Meredith Bowman

## Affiliated groups

* United Democratic Women's Clubs of Maryland
* Young Democrats of Maryland
* Democratic Women's PAC of Maryland
* United Democrats of Frederick County
* Green Dems
* Democratic Party (United States)