The Maryland Senate is the upper house of the Maryland General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Maryland. One Senator is elected from each of the state's 47 electoral districts. As of January 2023, 34 of those seats are held by Democrats and 13 by Republicans. The leader of the Senate is known as the President, a position currently held by Bill Ferguson, who represents Baltimore. In addition, senators elect a President Pro Tempore, and the respective party caucuses elect a majority and minority leader and a majority and minority whip.
Senators are elected in even-numbered years when the President of the United States is not being elected, similar to most other state offices in Maryland. The most recent election was in November 2022. Senators are not term-limited. Should a Senator resign from office before their term expires, the local central committee of the party to which the retiring senator belonged makes a recommendation to the Governor for whom to appoint to the open seat. It is tradition for the Governor to appoint the recommended person. Nine of the current members of the Maryland State Senate were originally appointed, all of whom have since been elected in their own right. Newly elected senators are sworn in and begin work on the second Wednesday of the January following their election.
Each Senator has at least one standing committee assignment. The first is to one of the four legislative committees: Budget and Taxation; Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs (listed in this table as Education, Health, and Environment); Finance; or Judicial Proceedings. A number of senators have secondary committee assignments, most prominently to the Executive Nominations Committee, which oversees the constitutional responsibility of the Senate to approve nominations by the Governor. Assignment to the Rules or Executive Nominations committees or to any Ad Hoc committees is not noted.
Current party composition Composition as of the beginning of the 2019–2022 term on January 9, 2019: Affiliation Senators Democratic Party 34 Republican Party 13 Total 47 Democratic majority 20 ()
During the 2015–2018 term, the State Senate was made up of 33 Democrats and 14 Republicans. Republicans gained two seats (District 38 in Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset counties and District 42 in Baltimore County), while losing one seat (District 9 in Howard and Carroll counties) in the elections held on November 6, 2018. Democrats maintain a super-majority in the chamber. Article II, Section 17(a) of the Maryland Constitution specifies it takes a three-fifths vote of both chambers to override a veto, which is 29 votes in the State Senate. The rules of the Senate also permit members to limit debate by a three-fifths majority vote, meaning Republicans would need to gain four additional seats, for a total of 19, in order to sustain a veto or filibuster legislation.
Current leadership The below table reflects the current leadership of the Maryland State Senate as of October 4, 2021. Position Name Party DistrictPresident of the SenateDemocratic46President pro temDemocratic47Majority LeaderDemocratic39Majority Vice LeaderDemocratic24Minority LeaderSteve HersheyRepublican36Minority Vice LeaderJustin ReadyRepublican5
Current state senators DistrictJurisdiction(s) representedImageSenatorPartyFirst electedPrimary committee1Allegany, Garrett, and WashingtonRepublican2022Judicial Proceedings2Washington Paul D. CordermanRepublicanAppointed and sworn in on September 1, 2020; first elected November 2022Budget and Taxation3FrederickDemocratic2022Budget and Taxation4 FrederickRepublican2022Judicial Proceedings5CarrollRepublicanAppointed and sworn in on February 2, 2015; first elected November 2018Finance6Baltimore CountyRepublican2014Budget and Taxation7Baltimore County and HarfordRepublican2010Budget and Taxation8Baltimore CountyDemocraticAppointed and sworn in on February 5, 2025Finance9Carroll and HowardDemocratic2018Education, Energy, and the Environment10Baltimore CountyDemocratic2022Education, Energy, and the Environment11Baltimore CountyDemocraticAppointed January 30, 2020 and sworn in on February 3, 2020; first elected November 2022Budget and Taxation12Baltimore County and HowardDemocratic2018Finance13HowardDemocratic2014Budget and Taxation (Chair)14MontgomeryDemocraticAppointed February 3, 2016 and sworn in on February 4, 2016; first elected November 2018Budget and Taxation15MontgomeryDemocraticAppointed September 12, 2013 and sworn in on September 17, 2013; first elected 2014Education, Energy, and the Environment (Chair)16MontgomeryDemocraticAppointed and sworn in on June 13, 2024Judicial Proceedings17MontgomeryDemocratic2014Education, Energy, and the Environment18MontgomeryDemocratic2018Judicial Proceedings19MontgomeryDemocratic2018Finance20MontgomeryDemocraticAppointed December 13, 2016 and sworn in on December 21, 2016; first elected November 2018Judicial Proceedings (Chair)21Anne Arundel and Prince George'sDemocratic2006Budget and Taxation22Prince George'sDemocraticAppointed and sworn in on January 27, 2023Finance23Prince George's DemocraticAppointed August 27, 2021 and sworn in on August 31, 2021; first elected November 2022Education, Energy, and the Environment24Prince George'sDemocratic2010Budget and Taxation25Prince George'sDemocraticAppointed and sworn in on December 5, 2023Judicial Proceedings26Prince George'sDemocratic2022Judicial Proceedings27Calvert, Charles and Prince George'sDemocraticAppointed December 5, 2025 and sworn in on December 9, 2025Education, Energy, and the Environment28CharlesDemocratic2018Finance29Calvert, and St. Mary'sRepublican2018Budget and Taxation30Anne ArundelDemocraticAppointed and sworn in on January 8, 2025Judicial Proceedings31Anne ArundelRepublican2006Education, Energy, and the Environment32Anne ArundelDemocratic2018Finance (Chair)33Anne ArundelDemocratic2022Finance34HarfordDemocratic2022Judicial Proceedings35Cecil and HarfordRepublican2018Education, Energy, and the Environment36Caroline, Cecil, Kent, and Queen Anne'sRepublicanAppointed September 18, 2013 and sworn in on October 1, 2013; first elected 2014Finance37Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot, and WicomicoRepublican2022Finance38Somerset, Wicomico, and WorcesterRepublican2018Education, Energy, and the Environment39MontgomeryDemocraticAppointed and sworn in on September 5, 2007; first elected 2010Budget and Taxation40BaltimoreDemocratic2018Finance41BaltimoreDemocraticAppointed and sworn in on January 24, 2025Education, Energy, and the Environment42Baltimore CountyRepublican2018Judicial Proceedings43BaltimoreDemocratic2018Education, Energy, and the Environment44Baltimore and Baltimore CountyDemocratic2019Judicial Proceedings45BaltimoreDemocratic2018Budget and Taxation46BaltimoreDemocratic2010President of the Senate47Prince George'sDemocratic2018Education, Energy, and the Environment
Notes This Senator was originally appointed to office by the Governor to fill an open seat.
The President of the Senate does not serve on any of the four standing legislative committees. He does, however, serve on both the Executive Nominations and the Rules Committees.
See also List of current members of the Maryland House of Delegates
References General
Specific
External links Maryland General Assembly