Sara N. Love

• New Trier High School
• Princeton University (AB)
• Northwestern University (JD)

Sara N. Love
Member-designate of the Maryland Senate from the 16th district
Nominee
Assuming office TBD
Profession	Attorney
Website	Official website

Sara N. Love (born April 6, 1967) is an American politician who has represented District 16 in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2019. ^[1]

Early life and career

Love was born in Evanston, Illinois on April 6, 1967, where she graduated from New Trier High School. She attended Princeton University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1989, and the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where she earned a Juris Doctor in law in 1993. After graduating, she worked as a law clerk for Judge Timothy K. Lewis from 1993 to 1994. From 1998 to 2014, she worked for various women's health groups, including the Feminist Majority Foundation, the National Women's Health Foundation, and NARAL Pro-Choice America. From 2005 to 2016, Love worked for the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, serving as the president of the board of directors from 2008 to 2012 and as the group's public policy director from 2012 to 2016. ^[1]

In August 2017, Love declared her candidacy for state delegate in Maryland's 16th legislative district, seeking to succeed state delegate William Frick, who ran for Congress in Maryland's 6th congressional district. ^[2] In the primary election, Love finished third in a field of eight candidates, edging out Montgomery Blair High School teacher Samir Paul by 9 votes. Paul filed for a recount of the results on July 10, 2018. ^[3] Love maintained her lead over Paul after the recount, increasing her vote total in the district to 12 votes. ^[4] He conceded from the election on July 27, 2018. ^[5] She came in third place in the general election, receiving 29.4 percent of the vote. ^[6]

In the legislature

Love was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 9, 2019. She has served as a member of the Environment and Transportation Committee during her entire tenure, including as the chair of its motor vehicle and transportation subcommittee since 2023. ^[1]

During the 2020 United States presidential election, Love canvassed for Joe Biden in the Pennsylvania cities of York and Harrisburg. ^[7]

In May 2022, ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization , Love launched StandUp MD, a program to train college students and recent graduates about political organizing and to support pro-choice candidates in Maryland. The program was funded by Love's campaign, as she did not face any opposition in her re-election bid that year. ^[8]

In March 2024, after state senator Ariana Kelly announced that she would resign in May to become the executive director of the Maryland Commission for Women, Love said that she would apply to serve the remainder of Kelly's term in the Maryland Senate. ^[9] The Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee nominated Love to fill the seat on June 3, 2024. ^[10]

Political positions

Love is a self-described progressive Democrat. ^[2]

Environment

During the 2019 legislative session, Love introduced a bill to strengthen and codify the Keep Antibiotics Effective Act, which restricts the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals. The bill passed and became law without Governor Larry Hogan's signature. ^[11]

In February 2022, Love introduced the "George Taylor Act", which would ban products containing Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. ^[12] The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Hogan. ^[13]

During the 2023 legislative session, Love introduced the "Clean Trucks Act", which would require vehicle manufacturers and dealers to sell an increasing percentage of zero-emission vehicles beginning in model year 2027. ^[14] The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Wes Moore. ^[15]

Israel

In November 2023, following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel and subsequent Israel–Hamas war, Love and other District 16 legislators released a statement condemning the attack and condemned antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes. ^[16]

Minimum wage

Love supports increasing the Maryland minimum wage to $15 an hour. ^[2]

Policing

During her time at the ACLU, Love lobbied for several policing bills, including one prevent police from searching a person's emails before obtaining a warrant, another that prevents police from tracking cellphones without warrants, ^{[2] [17]} and a bill to limit civil asset forfeiture abuse by requiring conviction before police could confiscate property. ^[18]

Social issues

During the 2019 legislative session, Love introduced a bill that would allow Maryland drivers to designate their gender as "X" on their license. ^[19] The bill passed and became law without Governor Larry Hogan's signature. ^[20]

During the 2024 legislative session, Love introduced the "Maryland Online Privacy Act", which restricts the kinds of data companies can collect to only what is necessary and relevant to the product, would give consumers the right to know which data is being collected and the ability to have it deleted, and bans targeted advertising. ^[21]

Transportation

During the 2024 legislative session, Love introduced the "Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Memorial Act", which would make hitting a cyclist in a bike lane an offense punishable by up to two months in jail alongside a fine of up to $2,000. The bill was named after Sarah Debbnik Langenkamp, a Bethesda cyclist who was hit and killed by a flatbed truck in August 2022. ^[22]

Electoral history

Maryland House of Delegates District 16 Democratic primary election, 2018 ^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Marc Korman (incumbent)	13,598	24.3
	Democratic	Ariana Kelly (incumbent)	12,197	21.8
	Democratic	Sara Love	11,299	20.2
	Democratic	Samir Paul	11,287	20.2
	Democratic	Jordan Cooper	3,613	6.5
	Democratic	Nuchhi Currier	2,131	3.8
	Democratic	Joseph Aloysius Hennessey	1,183	2.1
	Democratic	Marc Lande	563	1.0

Maryland House of Delegates District 16 election, 2018 ^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ariana Kelly (incumbent)	45,617	30.6
	Democratic	Marc Korman (incumbent)	43,861	29.4
	Democratic	Sara Love	43,760	29.4
	Republican	Bill Day	15,321	10.3
	Write-in		520	0.3

Maryland House of Delegates District 16 election, 2022 ^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ariana Kelly (incumbent)	41,600	33.1
	Democratic	Marc Korman (incumbent)	41,506	33.0
	Democratic	Sara Love (incumbent)	41,153	32.7
	Write-in		1,572	1.3

References

1. "Sara N. Love, Maryland State Delegate". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. January 31, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
2. Metcalf, Andrew (August 9, 2017). "Sara Love to Run for District 16 Delegate Seat". Bethesda Magazine . Retrieved February 7, 2022.
3. DePuyt, Bruce (July 10, 2018). "Recount Coming in Dems' District 16 House Race; Paul down by 9 Votes". Maryland Matters . Retrieved February 7, 2022.
4. Friedell, Dan (July 23, 2018). "Love maintains advantage over Paul in Md. District 16 recount". WTOP-FM . Retrieved February 7, 2022.
5. Haniffa, Aziz (July 27, 2018). "Samir Paul concedes close race in Maryland's District 16". India Abroad . Retrieved February 7, 2022.
6. "Official 2018 Gubernatorial General Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. December 11, 2018.
7. Shwe, Elizabeth (November 5, 2020). "Among Those Glued To Pennsylvania Vote Tally? Maryland Lawmakers Who Canvassed There". Maryland Matters . Retrieved February 7, 2022.
8. DePuyt, Bruce (May 23, 2022). "State Lawmaker to Train Pro-Choice Campaign Workers Across Md., Team With Raskin's Group of Young Activists". Maryland Matters . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
9. Sears, Bryan P. (March 21, 2024). "Kelly announces departure from Senate". Maryland Matters . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
10. Pollak, Suzanne (June 4, 2024). "Del. Sara Love Nominated to Fill Senate Seat Vacated by Ariana Kelly". Montgomery Community Media. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
11. Scarr, Emily (June 4, 2019). "Maryland's updated bill to keep antibiotics effective becomes law without governor's signature". Maryland Public Interest Research Group . Retrieved February 7, 2022.
12. Shwe, Elizabeth (February 10, 2022). "Inspired by the Death of a Veteran Firefighter, Bill Would Limit Exposure to Toxic Chemical in Fire Foam and Gear". Maryland Matters . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
13. "Legislation - HB0275". Maryland General Assembly . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
14. Kurtz, Josh (February 21, 2023). "Climate activists play 'show and tell' by bringing electric trucks and a battery-powered school bus to Annapolis". Maryland Matters . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
15. Bologna, Giacomo; Janesch, Sam (April 21, 2023). "Gov. Wes Moore champions wind energy as Orsted plans new assembly site in Sparrows Point". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
16. Kurtz, Josh (November 17, 2023). "CASA issues long-awaited apology for prior statements on Gaza conflict". Maryland Matters . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
17. Collins, David (January 14, 2014). "Maryland bills would limit electronic surveillance by police". WBAL-TV . Retrieved February 7, 2022.
18. Collins, David (January 19, 2016). "Legislation aimed at controversial police practice of seizing assets". WBAL-TV . Retrieved February 7, 2022.
19. Schere, Dan (March 11, 2019). "'Gender Neutral' ID Bill Gains Traction in Annapolis". Bethesda Magazine . Retrieved February 7, 2022.
20. Wood, Pamela (July 5, 2019). "Maryland voter registration to allow for 'X' gender identity". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved February 7, 2022.
21. Gaskill, Hannah (January 24, 2024). "Maryland lawmakers seek to bolster consumer protections in 2024". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
22. Bixby, Ginny (January 9, 2024). "In memory of Bethesda's Sarah Langenkamp, General Assembly bill seeks justice for cyclists hit by drivers". MoCo360 . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
23. "Official 2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. July 31, 2018.
24. "Official 2022 Gubernatorial General Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. December 7, 2022.

External links

• "Members - Delegate Sara Love". Maryland General Assembly . February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2020.