Mary L. Washington
Encyclopedia
Mary L. Washington is an American politician
from Baltimore, Maryland. A Democrat
, she was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates
in 2010, representing the state's 43rd district. She took office on January 12, 2011.
. She earned her B.A.
from Antioch University
in Philadelphia in 1989. She then moved to Baltimore to attend Johns Hopkins University
, where she earned an M.A.
in 1992 and a PhD
in 1997, both in sociology
.
She began her professional career in academia, teaching at Lehigh University
from 1995 to 2000 and working as a research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania
from 2000 to 2001. Subsequently, she has worked for government agencies in Maryland, including the Maryland Secretary of State's office and the Baltimore Housing Authority, as well as nonprofit organizations. She is currently an associate director with the Parks & People Foundation in Baltimore.
(first elected 1982), Ann Marie Doory
(first elected 1986) and Maggie McIntosh
(first elected 1992).
Washington finished fourth in the Democratic primary held on September 12, 2006, behind the three incumbents.
, was not running for a full term. Once again, six Democrats filed for three seats but Washington now had the support of the other incumbents – she joined the slate
of Sen. Joan Carter Conway
and Dels. Maggie McIntosh and Curt Anderson. All four of the slate's members won the primary, with Washington winning by a comfortable margin.
In the general election, the three Democratic nominees faced no opposition in a district that's overwhelmingly Democratic. They were elected unopposed.
members of the Maryland General Assembly
, alongside Sen. Rich Madaleno (D–Kensington) and Dels. Maggie McIntosh
(D–Baltimore), Luke Clippinger
(D–Baltimore), Anne Kaiser
(D–Burtonsville), Peter Murphy
(D–Bryans Road), Heather Mizeur
(D–Takoma Park) and Bonnie Cullison
(D–Silver Spring). McIntosh is also a delegate from the 43rd district; Washington's election marked the first time in Maryland history that two openly LGBT legislators were elected from the same district. Washington is also one of only two African American
lesbians to serve in a state legislature: the other is Simone Bell
, a Democratic member of the Georgia House of Representatives
.
A Presbyterian, she was an elder at First and Franklin Presbyterian Church in Baltimore from 2002 to 2005.
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
from Baltimore, Maryland. A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, she was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...
in 2010, representing the state's 43rd district. She took office on January 12, 2011.
Early life and career
Born in Philadelphia to two healthcare professionals, Washington is a graduate of the Philadelphia High School for GirlsPhiladelphia High School for Girls
The Philadelphia High School for Girls, also known as Girls' High, is a public university-preparatory magnet high school for girls in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. As its name suggests, the school's enrollment is all female....
. She earned her B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Antioch University
Antioch University
Antioch University is an American university with five campuses located in four states. Campuses are located in Los Angeles, California; Santa Barbara, California; Keene, New Hampshire; Yellow Springs, Ohio; and Seattle, Washington. Additionally, Antioch University houses two institution-wide...
in Philadelphia in 1989. She then moved to Baltimore to attend Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, where she earned an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1992 and a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1997, both in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
.
She began her professional career in academia, teaching at Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
from 1995 to 2000 and working as a research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
from 2000 to 2001. Subsequently, she has worked for government agencies in Maryland, including the Maryland Secretary of State's office and the Baltimore Housing Authority, as well as nonprofit organizations. She is currently an associate director with the Parks & People Foundation in Baltimore.
2006 run for delegate
Washington first ran for the House of Delegates in 2006, seeking one of three seats in Baltimore's 43rd district. She was one of six Democrats to run in the district. The field included all three incumbents: Curt AndersonCurt Anderson
Curtis Stovall Anderson is an American politician, lawyer and former broadcast journalist. Anderson was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1983, is the chairman of the Baltimore City Delegation, and past chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. After serving 12...
(first elected 1982), Ann Marie Doory
Ann Marie Doory
Ann Marie L. Doory, is an American politician who represented the 43rd legislative district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1987 to 2010. She resigned on July 13, 2010.-Background:...
(first elected 1986) and Maggie McIntosh
Maggie McIntosh
Margaret L. McIntosh, commonly known as Maggie McIntosh, is an American politician from the state of Maryland. The Chairman of the Environmental Matters Committee of the Maryland House of Delegates, she has been a member of the House of Delegates since November 1992...
(first elected 1992).
Washington finished fourth in the Democratic primary held on September 12, 2006, behind the three incumbents.
| Name | Votes | Percent | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curt Anderson Curt Anderson Curtis Stovall Anderson is an American politician, lawyer and former broadcast journalist. Anderson was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1983, is the chairman of the Baltimore City Delegation, and past chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. After serving 12... (incumbent) |
10,390 | 25.8% | Won |
| Maggie McIntosh Maggie McIntosh Margaret L. McIntosh, commonly known as Maggie McIntosh, is an American politician from the state of Maryland. The Chairman of the Environmental Matters Committee of the Maryland House of Delegates, she has been a member of the House of Delegates since November 1992... (incumbent) |
9,540 | 23.7% | Won |
| Ann Marie Doory Ann Marie Doory Ann Marie L. Doory, is an American politician who represented the 43rd legislative district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1987 to 2010. She resigned on July 13, 2010.-Background:... (incumbent) |
8,726 | 21.6% | Won |
| Mary L. Washington | 7,347 | 18.2% | Lost |
| Michael V. Dobson | 3,074 | 7.6% | Lost |
| Mike Miller | 1,230 | 3.1% | Lost |
2010 run for delegate
Washington mounted a second bid for the House of Delegates in 2010, also in the 43rd district. This time, only two incumbents were seeking re-election: Ann Marie Doory had retired in July 2010 and her appointed successor, Scherod C. BarnesScherod C. Barnes
Scherod C. Barnes is an American politician and community activist who represented the 43rd legislative district in Baltimore, Maryland as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates. Barnes was appointed to the legislature on July 18, 2010 to fill the vacancy created when Ann Marie Doory...
, was not running for a full term. Once again, six Democrats filed for three seats but Washington now had the support of the other incumbents – she joined the slate
Slate (elections)
A slate is a group of candidates that run in multi-seat or multi-position elections on a common platform.The common platform may be because the candidates are all members of a political party, have the same or similar policies, or some other reason....
of Sen. Joan Carter Conway
Joan Carter Conway
Joan Carter Conway is an American politician who represents district 43 in the Maryland State Senate. She is the first African American woman to be appointed chairman of any of the standing committees in the Maryland Senate and in 2000 was listed one of "Maryland's Top 100 Women" by the Daily...
and Dels. Maggie McIntosh and Curt Anderson. All four of the slate's members won the primary, with Washington winning by a comfortable margin.
| Name | Votes | Percent | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maggie McIntosh Maggie McIntosh Margaret L. McIntosh, commonly known as Maggie McIntosh, is an American politician from the state of Maryland. The Chairman of the Environmental Matters Committee of the Maryland House of Delegates, she has been a member of the House of Delegates since November 1992... (incumbent) |
9,780 | 28.2% | Won |
| Curt Anderson Curt Anderson Curtis Stovall Anderson is an American politician, lawyer and former broadcast journalist. Anderson was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1983, is the chairman of the Baltimore City Delegation, and past chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. After serving 12... (incumbent) |
9,739 | 28.1% | Won |
| Mary L. Washington | 8,705 | 25.1% | Won |
| Kelly Fox | 3,740 | 10.8% | Lost |
| Rodney C. Burris | 1,880 | 5.4% | Lost |
| Leon Winthly Hector, Sr. | 809 | 2.3% | Lost |
In the general election, the three Democratic nominees faced no opposition in a district that's overwhelmingly Democratic. They were elected unopposed.
Personal
Washington is openly gay. She is one of eight openly LGBTLGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
members of the Maryland General Assembly
Maryland General Assembly
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...
, alongside Sen. Rich Madaleno (D–Kensington) and Dels. Maggie McIntosh
Maggie McIntosh
Margaret L. McIntosh, commonly known as Maggie McIntosh, is an American politician from the state of Maryland. The Chairman of the Environmental Matters Committee of the Maryland House of Delegates, she has been a member of the House of Delegates since November 1992...
(D–Baltimore), Luke Clippinger
Luke Clippinger
Luke Clippinger is an American politician and lawyer from Maryland. A Democrat, he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2010, representing the state's 46th district in Baltimore...
(D–Baltimore), Anne Kaiser
Anne Kaiser
Anne R. Kaiser is an American politician from the state of Maryland and is a lifelong resident of Montgomery County, Maryland. She is currently serving her third term as one of three members of the House of Delegates from Maryland's 14th District, which includes parts of Silver Spring, Calverton,...
(D–Burtonsville), Peter Murphy
Peter Murphy (politician)
Peter Murphy is an American politician who represents district 28 in the Maryland House of Delegates.-Background:Murphy was born in Washington, D.C., on July 15, 1949. He has both a B.A. and an M.A. from the American University, and an Ed.S...
(D–Bryans Road), Heather Mizeur
Heather Mizeur
Heather R. Mizeur is an American politician from Maryland. A Democrat, she is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing the state's 20th district in Montgomery County.-Background:...
(D–Takoma Park) and Bonnie Cullison
Bonnie Cullison
Bonnie Cullison is an American teacher, labor official and politician from Montgomery County, Maryland. A Democrat, she was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2010, representing the state's 19th district. She took office on January 12, 2011.-Early life and career:Raised in St...
(D–Silver Spring). McIntosh is also a delegate from the 43rd district; Washington's election marked the first time in Maryland history that two openly LGBT legislators were elected from the same district. Washington is also one of only two African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
lesbians to serve in a state legislature: the other is Simone Bell
Simone Bell
Simone Bell is a community organizer and politician from Atlanta, Georgia. A Democrat, she was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in December 2009 from the state's 58th district in DeKalb and Fulton counties....
, a Democratic member of the Georgia House of Representatives
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Composition:...
.
A Presbyterian, she was an elder at First and Franklin Presbyterian Church in Baltimore from 2002 to 2005.