Theodore J. Sophocleus is an American politician from Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 and a member of the Democratic Party

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...

.

In the legislature

Delegate Sophocleus is currently serving in his 4th full term in 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...

, representing Maryland's District 32 in Anne Arundel County

Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...

. Sopohcleus was originally appointed to the seat by Governor William Donald Schaefer

William Donald Schaefer

William Donald Schaefer was an American politician who served in public office for 50 years at both the state and local level in Maryland. A Democrat, he was mayor of Baltimore from 1971 to 1987, the 58th Governor of Maryland from January 21, 1987 to January 18, 1995, and the Comptroller of...

 in 1993 to replace Tyras S. Athey who resigned, but was only elected in his own right in 1998. He currently serves on the Appropriations Committee and as a Deputy Majority Whip.

Legislative notes

• voted against the Clean Indoor Air Act of 2007 (HB359)http://mlis.state.md.us/2007rs/billfile/HB0359.htm

• voted against Tax Reform Act of 2007 to increase sales tax by 20% (HB2)http://www.mdchamber.org/docs/ss_hb2.pdf

• is a noted opponent of medical marijuana

• voted for the Maryland Gang Prosecution Act of 2007 (HB713), subjecting gang members to up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $100,000 http://mlis.state.md.us/2007rs/billfile/hb0713.htm

• voted for Jessica’s Law (HB 930), eliminating parole for the most violent child sexual predators and creating a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in state prison, 2007 http://mlis.state.md.us/2007RS/billfile/hb0930.htm

• voted for Public Safety – Statewide DNA Database System – Crimes of Violence and Burglary – Post conviction (HB 370), helping to give police officers and prosecutors greater resources to solve crimes and eliminating a backlog of 24,000 unanalyzed DNA samples, leading to 192 arrests, 2008 http://mlis.state.md.us/2008rs/billfile/hb0370.htm

• voted for Vehicle Laws – Repeated Drunk and Drugged Driving Offenses – Suspension of License (HB 293), strengthening Maryland’s drunk driving laws by imposing a mandatory one year license suspension for a person convicted of drunk driving more than once in five years, 2009 http://mlis.state.md.us/2009rs/billfile/hb0293.htm

• voted for HB 102, creating the House Emergency Medical Services System Workgroup, leading to Maryland’s budgeting of $52 million to fund three new Medevac helicopters to replace the State’s aging fleet, 2009 http://mlis.state.md.us/2009rs/billfile/hb0102.htm

For the past four years, Delegate Sophocleus has annually voted to support classroom teachers, public schools, police and hospitals in Anne Arundel County. Since 2002, funding to schools across the State has increased 82%, resulting in Maryland being ranked top in the nation for K-12 education.

Education

Delegate Sophocleus attended the now closed Patterson Senior High

Patterson Senior High (Baltimore, Maryland)

-Football:In 1993, Patterson, along with all the other Baltimore City public schools, left the Maryland Scholastic Association to join the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association . The move meant that Baltimore City Public Schools would be able to compete with the rest of the...

 in Baltimore City. After high school he graduated from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy

University of Maryland, Baltimore

University of Maryland, Baltimore, was founded in 1807. It comprises some of the oldest professional schools in the nation and world. It is the original campus of the University System of Maryland. Located on 60 acres in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, it is part of the University System of Maryland...

, where he earned his Bachelor's of Science degree in pharmacy in 1962.

Election results

• 2006 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 32

Voters to choose three:

Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
Pamela Beidle Pamela Beidle Pamela Graboski Beidle is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. She is currently serving in her 2nd term in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Maryland's District 32 in Anne Arundel County. She currently serves on the Environmental Matters Committee... , Dem.	17,964	18.6%	Won
Mary Ann Love Mary Ann Love Mary Ann Love is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. She is currently serving in her 4th full term in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Maryland's District 32. Love was originally appointed to the seat in 1993, but has since been elected in her own... , Dem.	17,697	18.3%	Won
Theodore Sophocleus, Dem.	17,661	18.3%	Won
Mark S. Chang, Sr, Rep.	16,569	17.1%	Lost
Terry R. Gilleland, Jr. Terry R. Gilleland, Jr. Terrill R. Gilleland, Jr in Baltimore, Maryland was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates.-Education:Gilleland attended North County High School in Glen Burnie, Maryland. He graduated from Loyola College in 1999 with a B.A.in political science. He continued his education by getting his... , Rep.	13,632	14.1%	Lost
Wayne Charles Smith, Rep.	13,153	13.6%	Lost
Other Write-Ins	75	0.1%	Lost

• 2002 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 32

Voters to choose three:

Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
James E. Rzepkowski, Rep.	18,299	19.84%	Won
Theodore Sophocleus, Dem.	16,842	18.26%	Won
Mary Ann Love Mary Ann Love Mary Ann Love is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. She is currently serving in her 4th full term in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Maryland's District 32. Love was originally appointed to the seat in 1993, but has since been elected in her own... , Dem.	16,646	18.05%	Won
Robert G. Pepersack, Sr, Rep.	14,628	15.86%	Lost
Victor A. Sulin, Dem.	13,694	14.85%	Lost
David P. Starr, Rep.	12,020	13.04%	Lost
Other Write-Ins	82	0.09%	Lost

• 1998 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 32

Voters to choose three:

Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
Mary Ann Love, Dem.	15,823	19%	Won
Theodore J. Sophocleus, Dem.	15,382	18%	Won
James E. Rzepkowski James E. Rzepkowski James E. Rzepkowski was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates.-Background:Prior to working as a State Delegate, Rzepkowski worked as an insurance agent manager for State Farm insurance... , Rep.	14,959	18%	Won
Michael W. Burns Michael W. Burns Michael W. Burns was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 32, which covers a portion of Anne Arundel County, Maryland.-Background:... , Rep.	13,247	16%	Lost
Victor Sulin, Dem.	12,658	15%	Lost
Betty Ann O'Neill, Dem.	11,752	14%	Lost