Abbreviation MDDEM President of the Senate Thomas V. Miller, Jr. Speaker of the House Michael E. Busch | Interim Chairperson Kathleen Matthews Senate Majority Leader Douglas J. J. Peters House Majority Leader Anne R. Kaiser | |
The Maryland Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Maryland, headquartered in Annapolis. The current state party interim chair is Kathleen Matthews.
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History
The Maryland Democratic Party is among the oldest continuously existing political organizations in the world. On May 21, 1827, that 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 1824 despite receiving the most total votes for his electors. (Similar to the 2000 Presidential election.) The first meeting of the Democratic (Jackson) Central Committee was held at the Atheneum in Baltimore City, located on the southwest corner of St. Paul and Lexington Streets.
Twelve delegates from each county and six delegates from Baltimore City 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 dominant party in Maryland.
Members of Congress
Democrats compose 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:
U.S. House of Representatives
Democrats hold seven of the eight seats Maryland is apportioned in the U.S. House following the 2000 census:
Statewide officeholders
Beginning in January 2015, Democrats control two of the four statewide offices:
County government
Until 2010 the Democratic Party of Maryland held majority power at the County level. As of 2011 the Democrats only hold control in eight out of 23 Maryland's county governments including Baltimore City.