Mary Lynn Washington (born May 20, 1962) is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate from District 43 since 2019. She previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2011 to 2019.
Early life and education
Washington was born as the oldest of six children and raised in West Philadelphia, where she graduated from the Philadelphia High School for Girls. She later attended Antioch University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in human services in 1989. Washington moved to Baltimore in 1992 to attend Johns Hopkins University, where she earned Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in sociology and submitted a doctoral dissertation on the United States census' influence on national identity.
Career
Washington worked as an assistant professor at Lehigh University from 1995 to 2002, afterwards working as a research fellow for the University of Pennsylvania. From 2002 to 2005, she became the director of the Baltimore Housing Authority's HousingStat office.
Washington first got involved in politics in 2006, when she unsuccessfully ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 43. She ran again in 2010, in which she won the Democratic primary, placing third with 25.1 percent of the vote, and ran unopposed in the general election.
Maryland House of Delegates
Washington was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 12, 2011. Upon her swearing in, she became the first openly lesbian African-American elected official in the state.
On September 7, 2017, Washington announced her candidacy for the Maryland Senate in District 43 in 2018, challenging incumbent state senator Joan Carter Conway. She defeated Conway in the Democratic primary in an upset on June 26, 2018, by a margin of 492 votes, and ran unopposed in the general election.
Committee assignments
Appropriations Committee, 2011–2015 (transportation & the environment subcommittee, 2011–2012; oversight committee on personnel, 2011–2015; education & economic development subcommittee, 2013–2015) Ways and Means Committee, 2015–2019 (education subcommittee, 2015–2019; finance resources subcommittee, 2015–2017; revenues subcommittee, 2015–2019; election law subcommittee, 2017–2019) Regional Revitalization Work Group, 2013–2019 Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, 2015–2019 Tax Credit Evaluation Committee, 2015–2019 House Co-chair, Joint Committee on Ending Homelessness, 2015–2019 Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review, 2017–2019
Maryland Senate
Washington was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 9, 2019. Upon her swearing in, she became the first openly gay African-American person and the first openly gay woman to serve in the state. She ran for re-election unopposed in 2022.
Committee assignments
Education, Energy and the Environment Committee, 2023–present
Senate Chair, Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review, 2023–present Joint Committee on the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area, 2020–present Senate Vaccine Oversight Work Group, 2021–present Senate Chair, Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, 2019–2022 Senate Co-chair, Joint Committee on Ending Homelessness, 2019–2022 Judicial Proceedings Committee, 2019 Co-chair, Work Group to Study Shelter and Supportive Services for Unaccompanied Homeless Minors, 2019–2020 Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee, 2020–2022 (education subcommittee, 2020–2022; alcohol subcommittee, 2021–2022)
2020 Baltimore mayoral campaign
On November 19, 2019, Washington announced her candidacy for mayor of Baltimore in 2020, challenging incumbent mayor Jack Young. She entered the race at a financial disadvantage, but quickly rose money during the election campaign, reporting $155,000 cash on hand by January 2020, the fourth most of any candidate. During the primary, Washington received endorsements from the Service Employees International Union Local 500, NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland, Baltimore Women United, and Our Revolution Baltimore.
On March 16, 2020, Washington suspended her campaign for mayor, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. She initially declined to endorse another candidate in the race, but later endorsed Democratic nominee Brandon Scott shortly before the general election. Had she won the Democratic primary and general election, she would have become the city's first openly LGBTQ person to serve as mayor of Baltimore.
In September 2020, Baltimore Comptroller-elect Bill Henry announced that Washington would co-chair his transition team.