Mary-Dulany James

James ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in 1998, seeking to replace one of two outgoing state delegates in District 34 (Mary Louise Preis and Nancy Jacobs, both of whom ran for state senate).[3] She won the Democratic primary with 22 percent of the vote,[4] and later won the general election on November 3, 1998, with 18 percent of the vote.[5] James was re-elected to the newly redistricted District 34A (Harford and Cecil counties)[6] in 2002, and was subsequently re-elected in 2006, and 2010.

• Member, Appropriations Committee, 1999-2014
  • oversight committee on personnel, 1999–2003
  • oversight committee on program open space & agricultural land preservation, 1999–2002
  • vice-chair, transportation & the environment subcommittee, 2003–2006, member, 1999–2006
  • chair, oversight committee on pensions, 2003–2006, member, 2003-2014
  • chair, health & human resources subcommittee, 2007-2014
• Joint Subcommittee on Program Open Space and Agricultural Preservation, 2003–2015
• Special Joint Committee on Pensions, 2003–Present, house chair, 2003–2006
• Member, Joint Committee on Base Realignment and Closure, 2007–2011
• Member, Joint Committee on the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area, 2003–07
• Chair, Harford County Delegation, 2001–02, vice-chair, 1999–2000
• Member, Maryland Green Caucus, 1999-2014
• Member, Women Legislators of Maryland, 1999–2015, co-chair, legislative committee, 2005–2015
• Member Maryland Rural Caucus, 2002-2014
• Maryland Bicycle and Pedestrian Caucus, 2003-2014
• Maryland Veterans Caucus, 2005-2014
• Member, National Conference of State Legislatures
  • Member, economic development, trade & cultural affairs committee, 2005–2007
  • Member, labor & economic development committee, 2007–2015[2]

2014

Mary-Dulany James in 2014

In June 2013, James said that she was considering a run for the Maryland Senate in District 34, after state senator Nancy Jacobs said she would not run for re-election in 2014.[7] At the time, James was the only Democratic member of the Harford County delegation.[8] James filed to run for the state senate seat in November 2013,[9] and faced former state senator Art Helton in the Democratic primary,[10][11] who she defeated in the June 2014 primary election by a 2-to-1 margin.[12] She faced Republican challenger Bob Cassilly in the general election, and sought to position herself as an independent Democrat, noting her votes against gas- and sales-tax increases.[13] James was defeated by Cassilly in the general election on November 3, 2014, receiving 42.7 percent of the vote to Cassilly's 57.2 percent.

2018

In 2018, James filed to run for the Maryland Senate in District 34, seeking a rematch between her and incumbent state senator Bob Cassilly.[14] She faced former state delegate Barbara Osborn Kreamer in the Democratic primary election,[15] which she won by a 3-to-1 margin. James lost to Cassilly in a tight general election on November 6, 2018, receiving 49.7 percent of the vote to Cassilly's 50.1 percent,[16] or by a 189 vote margin out of 48,788 votes cast.[17]

2022

In January 2022, James launched her third bid for the Maryland Senate in District 34, seeking to succeed state senator Bob Cassilly, who ran for Harford County executive in 2022.[18] She defeated state delegate Mary Ann Lisanti in the Democratic primary election on July 19, 2022, by a 2-to-1 margin, and faced Republican challenger Christian Miele in the general election.[19]

In the general election, James received financial support from President of the Maryland Senate Bill Ferguson and the Senate Democratic Caucus.[20] She also accused her opponent, Republican Christian Miele, of being a carpetbagger, noting that he previously represented Baltimore County in the Maryland House of Delegates before moving to Harford County.[21] James defeated Miele in a tight general election on November 8, receiving 50.55 percent of the vote to Miele's 49.24 percent, or by a margin of 591 votes out of 45,223 votes cast. She is the first Democrat to represent District 34 in the Maryland Senate since 1994.[22][23]

James was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 11, 2023.[2] She is a member of the Judicial Proceedings Committee and the Executive Nominations Committee.[24]

In February 2013, James voted for a bill that would allow a surcharge of up to $2 a month on residential natural gas bills to pay for new pipelines and distribution system upgrades. The bill passed the Maryland House of Delegates by a vote of 119-18, and later passed the state senate by a vote of 34-13.[29]

During the 2013 legislative session, James was one of 18 Democratic state delegates to vote against the Firearm Safety Act of 2013, a bill that placed restrictions on firearm purchases and magazine capacity in semi-automatic rifles.[30][31]

In April 2014, James expressed concerns regarding the state's overhaul of its health exchange to adopt technology from Connecticut's health exchange program, saying that there were "huge budgetary implications" in switching to the Connecticut model.[32]

In 2005, James was one of 36 Democratic state delegates to vote for a bill that would legalize slot machines at four locations in the state. The bill passed the House of Delegates by a 71-66 vote.[33]

In 2006, James voted for a bill that would create a ballot referendum to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland. The bill failed to pass out of the Maryland House of Delegates on a 61-78 vote.[34] In 2012, she voted against the Civil Marriage Protection Act, which legalized same-sex marriage in Maryland.[35]

In April 2004, James was one of two Democratic state delegates to switch their no votes to yes to revive a $1 billion tax plan proposed by Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates Michael E. Busch, after House Appropriations Committee Chairman Norman Conway persuaded her to change her vote. She later defended her vote change, saying that she "thought it deserved a full hearing on the House floor".[36]

In November 2007, James voted for a bill that raised corporate and income taxes, and voted against another bill that increased the state sales tax, car tilting tax, and hotel tax.[37]

In May 2012, James was one of 18 Democratic state delegates to vote against a bill that raised $300 million in tax hikes.[38]

In March 2013, James was one of 22 Democratic state delegates to vote against a bill that would raise the state's gas tax and index future increases to inflation to replenish the state's transportation fund.[39]

In March 2010, James said she opposed a bill that would give collective bargaining rights to librarians, saying that she thought it was inappropriate "for the state to be telling the local governments how to conduct themselves".[40]