J. B. Jennings | |
---|---|
![]() Jennings, c. 2015 | |
Member of the Maryland Senate from the 7th district | |
Assumed office January 12, 2011 | |
Preceded by | Andy Harris |
Minority Leader of the Maryland Senate | |
In office November 12,2014 –October 10,2020 | |
Preceded by | David R. Brinkley |
Succeeded by | Bryan Simonaire |
Member of the MarylandHouseofDelegates from the 7th district | |
In office January 8,2003 –January 12,2011 | |
Preceded by | Jacob Mohorovic |
Succeeded by | Kathy Szeliga |
Personal details | |
Born | Jonathan Bartlett Jennings March 27,1974 Baltimore,Maryland,U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Michelle Slusher |
Children | 2 |
Education | Essex Community College (AA) University of Baltimore (BS) |
Signature | ![]() |
Military service | |
Branch/service | United States Air Force |
Years of service | 2008–present |
Rank | Airman 1st Class |
Unit | Maryland Air National Guard |
Jonathan Bartlett Jennings (born March 27,1974) is an American politician and farmer who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate representing the seventh district since 2011. A member of the Republican Party,he previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2003 to 2011,and served as the minority leader of the Senate from 2014 to 2020.
Jonathan Bartlett Jennings [1] was born in Baltimore on March 27,1974. [2] He grew up in Phoenix,Maryland, [3] and graduated from Dulaney High School,and later attended Essex Community College,where he earned an associate degree in 1995,and the University of Baltimore,where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration in 1997. [2]
Jennings worked as a full-time Black Angus cattle farmer from 1992 to 2008,becoming a part-time beef and horse farmer after joining the Maryland Air National Guard. [4] [5] [6] As an Airman 1st Class,he was activated for military service at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia during his first term as a state senator in 2011,causing him to miss the entire session. [7] [8] Jennings also co-owns the Mill of Hereford,an animal feed store, [2] owns his own consulting company, [9] and serves as a volunteer firefighter for the Jacksonville Volunteer Fire Company. [2]
Jennings first became involved in politics as a staff assistant to U.S. Representative Bob Ehrlich from 1997 to 1998. [2]
Jennings ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in 2002,on a platform that included issues involving school crowding and over-development. [10] He was sworn in on January 8,2003. He served as a member of the Environmental Matters Committee and as a deputy minority whip from 2003 to 2006,afterwards serving in the Ways and Means Committee from 2007 to 2009 and the Judiciary Committee from 2009 to 2011. [2]
In October 2009,after state senator Andy Harris announced that he would run for Congress in Maryland's 1st congressional district in 2010,Jennings entered the race to succeed him. [11] In the Republican primary election,he faced former Maryland Insurance Commissioner Alfred W. Redmer Jr., [3] whom he defeated with 61 percent of the vote. [12]
Jennings was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 12,2011. He served as a member of the Health and Environmental Affairs Committee from 2011 to 2015,afterwards serving in the Finance Committee until 2023,when he was assigned to the Budget and Taxation Committee. [2] In November 2014,after Senate minority leader David R. Brinkley was defeated in the Republican primary election,Senate Republicans voted to elect Jennings as the next minority leader. In this capacity,he pushed for legislation introduced by Governor Larry Hogan,which were generally business-friendly and against tax increases. [13] [14] Jennings served in this position until October 2020,when he opted against running for reelection. [15]
During the annual Maryland Association of Counties conference in Ocean City,Jennings hosts an annual "gathering in the sand" at the Ropewalk restaurant. The bipartisan gathering has become one of the most popular events during the annual conference. [16] [17] [18]
Jennings was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention,pledged to businessman Donald Trump. [2] [19] In an interview with The Baltimore Sun following Maryland's presidential primaries,he said that he was neutral in the presidential election and held concerns about Trump and his communication style,but said he would support him as the party's nominee. [20]
During the 2009 legislative session,Jennings introduced legislation to allow farmers to sell raw milk to consumers who buy a "cow share". [5]
During the 2020 legislative session,Jennings voted against overriding Governor Larry Hogan's veto of a bill that prevented businesses from asking job applicants about their criminal history before the first in-person interview. [21] He also introduced a bill that would allow the governor to declare a state of emergency in Baltimore amid its high crime rates. [22]
During the 2013 legislative session,Jennings was one of five Republicans to vote for a bill to provide $1 billion toward renovations to Baltimore public schools. [23]
In March 2017,Jennings launched a filibuster against a bill to prohibit the state from using vouchers to improve struggling schools,during which he attempted to read off every page of the Every Student Succeeds Act. The filibuster was ended by Senate Democrats after an hour. [24]
During the 2019 legislative session,Jennings opposed a bill that would restore control over school calendars to local boards of education,overturning an earlier executive order by Governor Larry Hogan that mandated a post-Labor Day start for school districts. [25]
In September 2019,Jennings expressed concern with the Blueprint for Maryland's Future Funding Formula Workgroup—which was tasked with developing funding formulas for local school systems—was creating its formulas behind closed doors,saying that it would make people "lose trust in government". [26] During the 2020 legislative session,he initially said that he would be willing to negotiate the education reforms proposed in the Blueprint for Maryland's Future [27] and vowed to oppose any potential tax increases to pay for the reforms, [28] but later said that legislators should delay passing the bill into the next year amid uncertainty with the COVID-19 pandemic. [29] During debate on the bill,he introduced an amendment to minimize student-to-teacher ratios in public schools,which was adopted by the Senate. [30]
Jennings supports the expansion of gambling in Maryland,but voted against a bill in 2007 to create a statewide referendum on establishing casinos at five locations in the state,which he called "the hardest vote" he ever had to take. [31]
Jennings opposes gun control laws,instead preferring reforms to mental health services. [32]
During the 2013 legislative session,after a student was suspended for two days for making a gun-shaped pastry,Jennings introduced a bill to ban schools from suspending children who make gun gestures. [33] He also opposed the Firearm Safety Act,a bill that placed restrictions on firearm purchases and magazine capacity in semi-automatic rifles,and attended a rally outside the Maryland State House to protest the legislation. [34]
In 2019,after a staff member was shot inside Frederick Douglass High School,Jennings introduced a bill to allow school resource officers to carry guns inside school buildings. [35]
Jennings supports providing full funding for the state's trauma care system,saying that he would put "everything on the table",including raising taxes,to increase funding for the services. [36] He supports the decriminalization of marijuana [37] and voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2014. [38]
In 2018,Jennings supported a bill to impose a new tax on health insurers to help stabilize the state's healthcare marketplace. [39]
During the 2021 legislative session,Jennings supported a bill banning medical debt collection agencies from garnishing the wages or placing liens on homes of people who owed medical debt,and limiting payments made toward medical debt at five percent of a person's income. [40]
During the 2006 legislative session,Jennings voted to overturn a committee vote to kill a bill proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Maryland to ban same-sex marriage in Maryland. The measure failed in a 61–78 vote. [41] In 2012,he voted against the Civil Marriage Protection Act,which legalized same-sex marriage in Maryland. [42] In 2019,during debate on a bill to allow residents to apply to a driver's license with the "X" gender identifier,Jennings expressed concern that the bill would cause confusion for police officers. [43]
During the 2016 legislative session,Jennings expressed skepticism toward proposals to adopt automatic voter registration in Maryland. [44] In June 2020,he wrote a letter to the Maryland State Board of Elections following Maryland's June 2 primary election,which was conducted largely using mail-in ballots,to express concern about potential voter fraud if mail-in ballots were used in the general election. [45]
In 2018,Jennings criticized legislation to repeal "Maryland,My Maryland" as the state's official anthem as a "participation trophy bill",instead favoring a bill to replace the anthem's controversial pro-Confederate lyrics. [46] During debate on the bill,he introduced an amendment to remove the bill's preamble,which called the song's lyrics "controversial,inappropriate,and do not represent the ideals and values of Marylanders today",which was rejected in a 25–21 vote. [47]
Jennings has described himself as a "guy who hates taxes". [36] During the 2015 legislative session,he supported proposals by Governor Larry Hogan to repeal Maryland's "Rain Tax" and to create tax exemptions for businesses and retired service members. [48]
During the 2017 legislative session,Jennings supported legislation to repeal a law that required the state to use a scoring system to decide which transportation projects to prioritize,arguing that the system would cause urban transit projects to be prioritized over rural road projects. [49]
Jennings is married to his wife,Michelle Slusher. [50] Together,they have two children [2] and live in Joppa,Maryland. [3] In 2000,Jennings won in the White Marlin Open after reeling in a 158-pound shark,for which he was awarded $6,500. [51] [52]
In 2008,Jennings lost 51 pounds (20 kg) to enlist in the Maryland Air National Guard. [4]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Pat McDonough | 3,191 | 16.9 | |
Republican | J. B. Jennings | 3,191 | 16.9 | |
Republican | Rick Impallaria | 2,594 | 13.7 | |
Republican | Sheryl L. Davis-Kohl | 2,473 | 13.1 | |
Republican | Michael J. Davis | 2,079 | 11.0 | |
Republican | Dilip B. Paliath | 1,883 | 10.0 | |
Republican | Christopher Saffer | 1,851 | 9.8 | |
Republican | Jackie Bailey | 1,708 | 9.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | J. B. Jennings | 22,470 | 20.4 | |
Republican | Pat McDonough | 20,869 | 18.9 | |
Republican | Rick Impallaria | 18,749 | 17.0 | |
Democratic | Nancy M. Hubers | 17,092 | 15.5 | |
Democratic | Donna M. Felling | 14,205 | 12.9 | |
Democratic | Randy Cogar | 13,926 | 12.6 | |
Libertarian | Michael F. Linder | 2,817 | 2.6 | |
Write-in | 80 | 0.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Pat McDonough (incumbent) | 23,184 | 20.3 | |
Republican | Rick Impallaria (incumbent) | 21,333 | 18.7 | |
Republican | J. B. Jennings (incumbent) | 21,189 | 18.6 | |
Democratic | Linda W. Hart | 17,122 | 15.0 | |
Democratic | Jack Sturgill | 15,390 | 13.5 | |
Democratic | Rebecca L. Nelson | 13,481 | 11.8 | |
Green | Kim Fell | 2,307 | 2.0 | |
Write-in | 83 | 0.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | J. B. Jennings | 5,547 | 61.0 | |
Republican | Alfred W. Redmer Jr. | 3,547 | 39.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | J. B. Jennings | 28,890 | 65.9 | |
Democratic | Rebecca Weir Nelson | 14,848 | 33.9 | |
Write-in | 117 | 0.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | J. B. Jennings (incumbent) | 36,913 | 74.6 | |
Democratic | Kim Letke | 12,502 | 25.3 | |
Write-in | 46 | 0.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | J. B. Jennings (incumbent) | 40,070 | 66.9 | |
Democratic | Donna Hines | 19,780 | 33.0 | |
Write-in | 69 | 0.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | J. B. Jennings (incumbent) | 37,513 | 96.0 | |
Write-in | 1,555 | 4.0 |
Nicholaus Ryan Kipke is an American politician. Since 2007,he has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 31. He previously served as the Minority Leader of the Maryland House of Delegates from 2013 to 2021.
Susan Clair Lee is an American politician. She has served as the 72nd Maryland Secretary of State since 2023. She was a member of the Maryland State Senate from 2015 to 2023,and of the Maryland House of Delegates from 2002 to 2015. She represented District 16,covering parts of Montgomery County,and was the first Asian American elected to the Maryland State Senate,as well as the first Asian American woman and first Chinese American elected to the Maryland legislature.
Katherine A. Klausmeier is an American politician who is the 15th and current county executive of Baltimore County,Maryland,serving since 2025. She is the first woman to serve as Baltimore County Executive.
Barry Glassman is an American politician who served as the 7th county executive of Harford County,Maryland,from 2014 to 2022. He was previously a member of the Maryland State Senate,representing District 35 in Harford County,Maryland;he was appointed in 2008 to fill a vacancy,and subsequently was re-elected to the position in 2010. Glassman was originally elected to the Maryland House of Delegates,District 35A in 1998,along with Joanne S. Parrott,defeating incumbent Michael G. Comeau and winning the seat left vacant by James M. Harkins,who was elected as Harford County Executive. He was the Republican nominee for Comptroller of Maryland in the 2022 election,which he lost to state delegate Brooke Lierman.
Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio is an American politician who served as the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party,she was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from District 37B from 2003 to 2015.
Bryan Warner Simonaire is an American politician who serves as a Maryland state senator representing District 31,which encompasses much of northern Anne Arundel County's Baltimore suburbs. A member of the Republican Party,he served as the minority leader of the Maryland Senate from 2020 to 2023.
Guy Joseph Guzzone is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate representing District 13 since 2015,and as its majority leader from 2019 to 2020. A member of the Democratic Party,he previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2007 to 2015,and as a member of the Howard County Council from 1998 to 2006.
Mary-Dulany James is an American politician who has represented District 34 in the Maryland Senate since 2023. She was previously a member of the District 34A in the Maryland House of Delegates for sixteen years,representing Harford and Cecil Counties along the U.S. Route 40 corridor. Mary-Dulany James represented district 34A,formerly district 34,for 16 years having first been elected in 1998.
Paul G. Pinsky is an American educator,politician from Maryland. A member of the Democratic Party,he is currently the Director of the Maryland Energy Administration. He was previously a member of the Maryland Senate,representing District 22 in Prince George's County.
James Brochin is an American politician who was a member of the Maryland Senate representing the 42nd district in Baltimore County from 2003 to 2019. He unsuccessfully ran for Baltimore County Executive in 2018,placing second behind former state delegate Johnny Olszewski in the Democratic primary by a margin of 17 votes.
Stephen S. Hershey Jr. is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate from District 36 since 2013,and as the minority leader of the Maryland Senate since January 11,2023. A member of the Republican Party,he previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2011 to 2013.
Justin D. Ready is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate since 2015,representing District 5 in Carroll County. He previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2011 to 2015.
Kathy Szeliga is an American politician who has served as a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates since January 12,2011,and as Minority Whip from 2013 to 2021. Szeliga was the Republican nominee for the United States Senate in 2016 to replace Barbara Mikulski,who retired.
Cory V. McCray is an American politician who serves as a member of the Maryland Senate for Maryland's 45th district,located in northeast Baltimore City. Previously,McCray served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates and acting Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party.
David Hyon Moon is an American activist,lawyer,and politician. He is currently a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 20 in Montgomery County,Maryland. Since 2023,he has served as the Majority Leader of the Maryland House of Delegates.
Robert G. Cassilly is an American politician who is currently the county executive of Harford County,Maryland. He previously served in the Maryland State Senate from 2015 to 2022,representing District 34.
Christian J. Miele born February 28,1981) is an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Maryland Senate from the 34th district from January 5 to January 11,2023,and a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 8th district from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party,Miele served as the deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of Disabilities in the administration of Governor Larry Hogan from 2019 to 2023.
Teresa E. Reilly is an American politician from Maryland from the Republican Party. She is currently a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from District 35B,representing northern Cecil and Harford counties.
Jason Charles Gallion is an American politician who serves as a Republican member of the Maryland Senate from the 35th district in Cecil County and Harford County.
Steven C. Johnson is an American politician who is a Democratic member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 34A.