William Claiborne Ferguson IV (born April 15, 1983) is an American politician, attorney, and former schoolteacher. He is a Democratic member of the Maryland Senate, representing the 46th legislative district since 2011, and serving as the President of the Maryland Senate since January 8, 2020. The district is composed of parts of Baltimore.
Born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, Ferguson graduated from Davidson College, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He began his career as a history teacher in Baltimore while attending Johns Hopkins, afterwards working in Baltimore City government. Ferguson was elected to the Maryland Senate in 2010 after defeating seven-term incumbent George W. Della Jr. in the Democratic primary for the 46th district. In October 2019, after Thomas V. Miller Jr. stepped down as president of the Maryland Senate, Ferguson was elected to succeed him.
Education and early career Ferguson was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, on April 15, 1983, to a conservative-leaning father who worked in commercial real estate and a labor union-supporting mother who supported President Bill Clinton. Ferguson graduated from Georgetown Preparatory School and Davidson College with a double major in political science and economics in 2005. He then joined Teach For America, teaching history and government to ninth and tenth graders at Southwestern High School in Baltimore for two years. In 2007, he earned a Master of Arts degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Education. Since 2012, Ferguson has served as the director of reform initiatives at the Johns Hopkins School of Education.
Ferguson served as a community liaison on educational issues for Sheila Dixon, the president of the Baltimore City Council, from 2005 to 2006. From 2009 to 2010, he was a special assistant to Andres Alonso, the chief executive officer of Baltimore City Public Schools. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 2010.
In the legislature In 2010, Ferguson challenged six-term incumbent George W. Della, Jr. for the Democratic nomination for the 46th district in the Maryland Senate. He won the primary election by a margin of 59–41%. Running in a heavily Democratic district, he won the general election with no formal opposition, receiving 98% of the vote. In the Senate, Ferguson gained a reputation as a mild-mannered nerd who specializes in education policy and the state budget. He is the youngest state senator ever elected in Maryland. His youth earned him the nickname of "Baby Senator".
On October 24, 2019, Senate Democrats unanimously voted to nominate Ferguson to succeed Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller. Ferguson was perceived as more progressive than Miller. He was sworn in as Senate President on January 8, 2020. Ferguson spent much of his first few legislative sessions as Senate President trying to reel in the agenda of Republican Governor Larry Hogan, with Maryland Democrats having voted to override Hogan's vetoes more than two dozen times during the final two years of his tenure. During the tenure of Democratic Governor Wes Moore, Ferguson had a functional relationship with Moore and worked with the governor on several issues, but publicly feuded with Moore on the issue of mid-decade redistricting in Maryland and to negotiations on a new lease for Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
In June 2024, Ferguson joined CI Renewables, a Baltimore-based solar energy firm, as the company's general counsel.
Ferguson was an at-large delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, pledged to Kamala Harris.
Political positions Education Ferguson supports the Kirwan Commission recommendations, also known as the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, and served on the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education before becoming President of the Maryland Senate.
Ferguson opposed legislation introduced during the 2015 legislative session that would have armed school resource officers while they patrolled schools, calling it a "counterproductive strategy" and saying that counseling and other services would be more useful in enhancing school safety.
In 2018, Ferguson blamed Governor Larry Hogan after Baltimore schools closed early amid facilities problems, saying that the governor did not provide adequate funding for public schools.
Energy In 2019, Ferguson voted in favor of an amendment to make the Wheelabrator Baltimore incinerator ineligible to receive renewable energy subsidies, which passed in a 34–12 vote. In October 2024, he announced that he would sponsor a bill to remove waste incineration from the state Renewable Portfolio Standard and end subsidies for burning waste as renewable energy. Ferguson's bill was integrated into the Next Generation Energy Act, a bill introduced by Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones to increase in-state power generation and battery energy storage while limiting how utilities could spend ratepayer dollars, which passed and was signed into law by Governor Wes Moore. Ferguson also added multiple provisions from Moore's ENERGIZE Act to the Next Generation Energy Act, but declined to add provisions that would've incorporated nuclear power into the state's clean energy portfolio and created a nuclear energy procurement process funded by surcharges on ratepayers' energy bills, saying that it was "not something that we were going to tolerate" because it would've increased energy costs for consumers.
In January 2026, Ferguson said he supported increasing the state's clean energy supplies to lower energy costs in Maryland. He also expressed openness to implementing short-term relief programs related to renewable energy to provide partial utility bill refunds to ratepayers funded by taking from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund, which is funded by utilities that can pay into the fund in lieu of purchasing renewable energy.
In February 2026, Ferguson objected to Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE)'s plans to spend at least $537 million building transmission lines to prepare for the redevelopment of Baltimore Peninsula, saying that the spending "demands increased oversight to determine if it is truly needed for reliability", after which BGE announced that it would temporarily pause the underground transmission project, citing Ferguson's objections. In March 2026, he introduced a bill that would make underground power lines subject to review by the Maryland Public Service Commission.
Fiscal issues In 2020, Ferguson stated that he would be opposed to an across-the-board increase in taxes to pay for the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, a sweeping education reform bill. During that year's legislative session, he introduced legislation that would levy a tax on digital advertising to pay for the Commission's reforms, which passed but was vetoed by Governor Hogan on May 7, 2020. The General Assembly voted to override the governor's veto on February 12, 2021.
During the 2022 legislative session, Ferguson worked with Governor Larry Hogan to pass a $1.86 billion tax cut. In May 2022, he rejected calls for an extension to Maryland's fuel tax holiday, claiming it would have "long-term consequences" for critical infrastructure in the state.
In August 2024, Ferguson stated that there was an "extremely high bar" for tax increases to resolve the state's $1 billion budget deficit, emphasizing the importance of economic growth. In November 2024, after state analysts released a report showing that the state would soon enter a revenue deficit worse than the Great Recession, he expressed openness to cutting funding for unsuccessful programs and levying new taxes "so long as those changes keep our state competitive with the surrounding region".
In January 2026, amid a $1.5 billion budget deficit, Ferguson supported proposals to limit the growth of Medicaid, behavioral health programs, and other social programs. During the 2026 legislative session, he supported bills to strengthen the Maryland Public Employee Relations Board and ban quasi-unions used to undermine collective bargaining, citing federal cuts to the National Labor Relations Board during the second Trump administration, and proposals to increase the state's investments in emerging industries such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing.
In March 2026, Ferguson opposed a Republican proposal to impose a 30-day gas tax holiday following a spike in gas prices as a result of the 2026 Iran war, which he said would take away funding for the roads, bridges, and transit systems Maryland residents use to get to work, school, and other events.
Gun policy During the 2013 legislative session, Ferguson voted for the Firearm Safety Act, a bill that placed restrictions on firearm purchases and magazine capacity in semi-automatic rifles. In November 2023, he criticized a Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that struck down a provision of the state's Firearm Safety Act that required handgun owners to obtain a "handgun qualification license" to buy a handgun.
Immigration During the 2025 legislative session, Ferguson opted against passing legislation to prohibit counties from entering into 287(g) program agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), citing fears of a retaliatory federal government and the possibility of President Donald Trump federalizing the Maryland National Guard. At the same time, he expressed sympathy toward Maryland's immigrant communities with respect to fears they may have as a result of the second Trump administration. After the Trump administration slashed federal funding to Maryland and deployed the National Guard to other blue states anyway, Ferguson endorsed a bill to ban 287(g) agreements in Maryland in November 2025, later describing ICE as a "paramilitary force" that has "gotten absolutely out of control" and criticizing how ICE engages with communities. In April 2026, after multiple county sheriffs said they would continue working with ICE despite Governor Moore signing the 287(g) ban into law, Ferguson endorsed the Community Trust Act, a bill that would require ICE to present a judicial warrant to compel state action and only allow for someone to be detained for ICE in a state or local correctional facility in certain situations.
Marijuana Ferguson supports the legalization of recreational marijuana, saying he would support legalizing it by passing a law during the General Assembly session. In 2021, he co-sponsored legislation to legalize marijuana. In 2022, Ferguson said that a voter referendum to legalize marijuana "wouldn't be [his] first choice", but stressed that it would be unfair to put the question before the voters without letting them know the details of the state's marijuana program.
National politics In October 2025, Ferguson blamed President Donald Trump for the 2025 United States federal government shutdown, but declined to call a special session to pass any new laws to address the shutdown.
Policing During the 2018 legislative session, Ferguson introduced legislation that would establish a Commission to Restore Trust in Policing to investigate the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force, whose members' abuse of power over several years resulted in federal convictions of eight of the unit's nine officers on racketeering charges related to a robbery and extortion scheme. The bill passed both chambers unanimously and was signed into law by Governor Hogan on May 15, 2018. The Commission published its final report on December 2, 2020. In February 2021, Ferguson said that he would support repealing and replacing the state's Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights.