31 Facts About Clarence Lam

Clarence Lam ran for the 2024 US House of Representatives election in Maryland's 3rd congressional district, in which he was defeated by state senator Sarah Elfreth in the Democratic primary election.

Clarence Lam is a second-generation Asian American, with his mother immigrating to the US from Taiwan and his father immigrating from Hong Kong.

Clarence Lam has worked as a preventive medicine physician at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health since 2009.

Clarence Lam has served on the board of directors of Healthy Howard since 2011.

From 2009 to 2013, Lam worked as a legislative aide to state delegate Dan K Morhaim.

Clarence Lam served as the executive director of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Leadership Council of the Maryland Democratic Party and as a member of the Howard County Spending Affordability Advisory Committee from 2011 to 2014.

Clarence Lam was elected to the Howard County Democratic Central Committee and became the chapter president of the local Young Democrats club in 2010.

Clarence Lam was elected to the board of directors of the village of Harper's Choice in 2011, serving until 2015.

In 2012, Clarence Lam served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, pledged to President Barack Obama.

Clarence Lam was a member of the Environment and Transportation Committee from 2015 to 2017, afterwards serving in the Appropriations Committee until 2019.

On February 13,2018, Clarence Lam announced that he would run for the Maryland Senate in District 12, seeking to succeed Kasemeyer, who had announced his retirement.

Clarence Lam's candidacy was backed by the district's other two state delegates, Ebersole and Hill.

Clarence Lam won the Democratic primary on June 26,2018, defeating Howard County councilmember Mary Kay Sigaty with 72.6 percent of the vote, faced Republican Joseph Hooe in the general election, who he defeated with 33.8 percent of the vote.

Clarence Lam was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 9,2019.

Clarence Lam was a member of the Health and Environmental Affairs Committee until 2023, afterwards serving as a member of the Finance Committee.

Clarence Lam has served on the Executive Nominations Committee since 2019 and became the committee's vice chair in October 2023, making him the first Asian American to serve as chair or vice chair of a Senate committee.

Clarence Lam criticized the University of Maryland Medical System following the Healthy Holly scandal.

On November 30,2023, Clarence Lam announced that he would run for Congress in Maryland's 3rd congressional district, seeking to succeed retiring US Representative John Sarbanes.

Clarence Lam was defeated in the Democratic primary election by Elfreth on May 14,2024, placing third with 11.7 percent of the vote.

In 2023, Clarence Lam introduced legislation to create two appointed positions on the county board of education.

Clarence Lam introduced the Student Voter Empowerment Act, which would require higher education institutions to encourage students to vote in elections.

In March 2023, during debate on a bill establishing the framework for the state's recreational cannabis industry, Clarence Lam introduced an amendment requiring "on-site consumption" establishments to follow the state's Clean Indoor Air Act.

Clarence Lam frequently criticized the Hogan administration's decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the distribution and contracting of the COVID-19 vaccine.

In March 2022, Clarence Lam said he supported legislation to prevent state health officers from being fired without reason.

In 2017, Clarence Lam supported the Maryland Trust Act, which would prevent the use of state and local funding for federal immigration enforcement.

In 2017, Clarence Lam introduced legislation to provide immunity to first responders to provide aid to animals during emergencies.

In 2020, Clarence Lam introduced legislation to make daylight savings time permanent in Maryland.

In 2021, Clarence Lam introduced legislation to ban the use of gay panic defense in criminal court proceedings.

In March 2022, Clarence Lam spoke in support of a bill to provide $3.5 million toward training doctors on abortion care.

Clarence Lam introduced legislation to repeal sodomy as a criminal offense, which passed and became law without Governor Wes Moore's signature, and another bill that would cut state funding from school systems that refuse to instruct state-approved curriculum.

In March 2014, Clarence Lam said he would only support "progressive" tax increases.