Kathy Szeliga (born October 10, 1961) 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.
Background
Szeliga was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in October 1961. She is of Polish descent. She was raised in a military family, her father being a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. Szeliga married her husband in 1980, and the couple struggled financially at first. Szeliga worked as a dishwasher, a maid, and a housekeeper. She entered college in her 30s, enrolling at Towson State University and graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education. She began working as a teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools and started a construction business with her husband.
Szeliga first got involved with politics in the mid-1990s, organizing opposition against the Maryland School Performane and Assessment Program, a controversial test used to assess schools. She became involved with state politics after a family friend, James M. Kelly, was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates. She worked as a legislative aide to Kelly, then for Delegate John G. Trueschler, and eventually became chief of staff for then-State Senator Andy Harris. She decided to run for Delegate after Del. J. B. Jennings decided to run for the State Senate. She was elected and immediately placed on the Appropriations Committee.
In the legislature
Szeliga was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 11, 2011. From 2013 to 2021, she served as the House Minority Whip, making her the highest-ranking elected Republican woman in Maryland.
Committee assignments
Member, Health and Government Operations Committee, 2017–present (insurance subcommittee, 2017–2018; public health & minority health disparities subcommittee, 2017–2022; government operations & estates & trusts subcommittee, 2019; government operations & health facilities subcommittee, 2020–present; insurance & pharmaceuticals subcommittee, 2023–present) Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, 2014–present Member, Appropriations Committee, 2011–2015 (education & economic development subcommittee, 2011–2012; oversight committee on pensions, 2011-15; health & human resources subcommittee, 2013-15) Member, House Emergency Medical Services System Work Group, 2012 Member, Joint Committee on the Selection of the State Treasurer, 2015, 2019 Member, Environment and Transportation Committee, 2015-16 (environment subcommittee, 2015–2016; motor vehicle & transportation subcommittee, 2015–2016) Member, Legislative Policy Committee, 2015–2021 Member, Marijuana Legalization Work Group, 2019 Member, Work Group to Address Police Reform and Accountability in Maryland, 2020 Member, Joint Covid-19 Response Legislative Work Group, 2020–2021
Robocall controversy
In June 2018, Szeliga accused state delegate Richard Impallaria of sending out campaign mailers attacking Szeliga by calling her a closet Democrat. Impallaria initially declined responsibility for this, but after Szeliga emailed him to say she would inform their GOP colleagues about the fliers targeting her, he forwarded the email to every member of the House Republican caucus in which he referred to himself as the "evil genius" responsible for the attacks on Szeliga. The calls misleadingly claimed that Szeliga was a supporter of the transgender community and had voted in favor of a bill that would make it illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of gender identity.
Redistricting lawsuit
In February 2022, Szeliga filed a lawsuit against the state's newly enacted congressional maps, arguing that the maps violated the Maryland Constitution's requirement that districts be compact and respect natural boundaries. On March 26, 2022, Judge Lynne A. Battaglia ruled that the congressional maps were unconstitutional, calling them a "product of extreme partisan gerrymandering". Shortly after the ruling, House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones released a statement on Twitter expressing disappointment in the ruling against the maps. Szeliga responded profanely to this statement, in a now-deleted tweet saying "Bitches!! The court is not gonna like to see that. The seven judges that get to see this and make a final decision will not like this press release. That is even better for us". She later apologized for the tweet, saying it was intended to be private and was inappropriate.