Mary-Dulany James was previously a member of the District 34A in the Maryland House of Delegates for sixteen years, representing Harford and Cecil Counties along the US Route 40 corridor.
30 Facts About Mary-Dulany James
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Mary-Dulany James represented district 34A, formerly district 34, for 16 years having first been elected in 1998.
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In 2014 and 2018, James unsuccessfully ran for the Maryland Senate in District 34.
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Mary-Dulany James attended the University of Maryland School of Law, earning a Juris Doctor degree with honors in 1986.
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Mary-Dulany James worked for law firms in Baltimore, then set up her own practice in Harford County where she lived.
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Mary-Dulany James ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in 1998, seeking to replace one of two outgoing state delegates in District 34.
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Mary-Dulany James won the Democratic primary with 22 percent of the vote, and later won the general election on November 3,1998, with 18 percent of the vote.
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Mary-Dulany James was re-elected to the newly redistricted District 34A in 2002, and was re-elected in 2006, and 2010.
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In June 2013, Mary-Dulany 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.
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At the time, Mary-Dulany James was the only Democratic member of the Harford County delegation.
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Mary-Dulany James filed to run for the state senate seat in November 2013, and faced former state senator Art Helton in the Democratic primary, who she defeated in the June 2014 primary election by a 2-to-1 margin.
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Mary-Dulany James 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.
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Mary-Dulany 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.
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In 2018, Mary-Dulany James filed to run for the Maryland Senate in District 34, seeking a rematch between her and incumbent state senator Bob Cassilly.
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Mary-Dulany James faced former state delegate Barbara Osborn Kreamer in the Democratic primary election, which she won by a 3-to-1 margin.
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Mary-Dulany 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, or by a 189 vote margin out of 48,788 votes cast.
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In January 2022, Mary-Dulany 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.
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Mary-Dulany James 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.
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Mary-Dulany James 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.
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Mary-Dulany James is the first Democrat to represent District 34 in the Maryland Senate since 1994.
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Mary-Dulany James was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 11,2023.
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Mary-Dulany James is a member of the Judicial Proceedings Committee and the Executive Nominations Committee.
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In February 2013, Mary-Dulany 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.
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In 2005, Mary-Dulany James was one of 36 Democratic state delegates to vote for a bill that would legalize slot machines at four locations in the state.
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In 2006, Mary-Dulany James voted for a bill that would create a ballot referendum to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland.
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Mary-Dulany James later defended her vote change, saying that she "thought it deserved a full hearing on the House floor".
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In November 2007, Mary-Dulany 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.
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In May 2012, Mary-Dulany James was one of 18 Democratic state delegates to vote against a bill that raised $300 million in tax hikes.
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In March 2013, Mary-Dulany 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.
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In March 2010, Mary-Dulany 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".