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| Maryland House of Delegates District 21 | ||
| Current incumbent | Ben Barnes  Mary Lehman Joseline Pena-Melnyk | |
| Population | 128,118 | |
| Race | 48.63% White, 29.65% Black, 9.68% Asian, 7.69% Other, 3.83% Two or More Races, 0.45% American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.07% Pacific Islander | |
Maryland's twenty-first state house district is held by Democratic Representatives Ben Barnes, Mary Lehman, and Joseline Pena-Melnyk.
As of the 2010 census, a total of 128,118 civilians reside within Maryland's twenty-first state house district. Maryland state delegates represent an average of 40,947 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 37,564 residents.
Members of the Maryland House of Delegates serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Maryland legislators assume office the second Wednesday in January after the election.
Section 9 of Article 3 of the Maryland Constitution states:
| “ | A person is eligible to serve as a Senator or Delegate, who on the date of his election, (1) is a citizen of the State of Maryland, (2) has resided therein for at least one year next preceding that date, and (3) if the district which he has been chosen to represent has been established for at least six months prior to the date of his election, has resided in that district for six months next preceding that date.
If the district which the person has been chosen to represent has been established less than six months prior to the date of his election, then in addition to (1) and (2) above, he shall have resided in the district for as long as it has been established. A person is eligible to serve as a Senator, if he has attained the age of twenty-five years, or as a Delegate, if he has attained the age of twenty-one years, on the date of his election. |
” |
| State legislators | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $50,330/year | $106/day for lodging; $47/day for meals. |
The governor is responsible for filling all vacancies in the house.
The governor has 30 days after the vacancy to make an appointment based on the recommendations of the political party committee that holds the vacant seat. The political party committee has up to 30 days after the vacancy to submit a list of recommended candidates to the governor. If the party committee fails to act within the 30 day deadline, the governor has 15 days to appoint a person from the political party that last held the seat.
The person appointed to the seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.
The following candidates ran in the general election for Maryland House of Delegates District 21 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Ben Barnes (D) |
26.3
|
27,567 |
| ✔ |
|
Joseline Pena-Melnyk (D) |
25.7
|
26,889 |
| ✔ |
|
Mary Lehman (D) |
25.6
|
26,809 |
|
|
Richard Douglas (R) |
8.1
|
8,519 | |
|
|
Chike Anyanwu (R) |
7.9
|
8,313 | |
|
|
Ray Ranker (Unaffiliated) |
6.2
|
6,472 | |
| Other/Write-in votes |
0.2
|
234 | ||
|
|
Total votes: 104,803 |
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 21 on June 26, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Joseline Pena-Melnyk (D) |
30.0
|
8,770 |
| ✔ |
|
Ben Barnes (D) |
25.5
|
7,449 |
| ✔ |
|
Mary Lehman (D) |
18.9
|
5,538 |
|
|
Matt Dernoga (D) |
18.2
|
5,316 | |
|
|
Brencis Smith (D) |
4.0
|
1,169 | |
|
|
James McDowell Jr. (D) |
3.5
|
1,027 | |
|
|
Total votes: 29,269 |
Richard Douglas and Chike Anyanwu advanced from the Republican primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 21 on June 26, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Richard Douglas (R) |
53.9
|
1,492 |
| ✔ |
|
Chike Anyanwu (R) |
46.1
|
1,274 |
|
|
Total votes: 2,766 |
Elections for the Maryland House of Delegates took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 24, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 25, 2014. Incumbents Ben Barnes, Barbara A. Frush and Joseline Pena-Melnyk were unopposed in the Democratic primary. Katherine Butcher was unopposed in the Republican primary. Barnes, Frush and Pena-Melnyk defeated Butcher for three seats in the general election.
Maryland House of Delegates District 21, General Election, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Barbara Frush Incumbent |
28.9% | 18,157 | |
| Democratic | Ben Barnes Incumbent |
27.4% | 17,235 | |
| Democratic | Joseline Pena-Melnyk Incumbent |
26.8% | 16,880 | |
| Republican | Katherine Butcher | 16.9% | 10,610 | |
| Total Votes | 62,882 | |||
Elections for the office of Maryland House of Delegates consisted of a primary election on September 14, 2010, and a general election on November 2, 2010. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was July 6, 2010. Incumbents Ben Barnes (D), Barbara Frush (D) and Joseline Pena-Melnyk (D) defeated Scott Dibiasio (R), Kat Nelson (R) and Jason Papanikolas (R) in the general election. Barnes, Frush and Pena-Melnyk defeated Brian McDaniel and Devin Tucker in the Democratic primary. Debiasio, Nelson and Papanikolas were unopposed in the Republican primary.
Maryland House of Delegates, District 21, General Election, 2010
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ben Barnes Incumbent |
25.2% | 18,954 | |
| Democratic | Barbara Frush Incumbent |
24.8% | 18,689 | |
| Democratic | Joseline Pena-Melnyk Incumbent |
24.5% | 18,457 | |
| Republican | Scott Dibiasio | 8.2% | 6,131 | |
| Republican | Kat Nelson | 8% | 6,013 | |
| Republican | Jason Papanikolas | 7.7% | 5,822 | |
| Libertarian | K. Bryan Walker | 1.5% | 1,151 | |
| Total Votes | 75,217 | |||
Maryland House of Delegates, District 21 Democratic Primary, 2010
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Joseline Pena-Melnyk Incumbent |
29.2% | 6,608 |
| Ben Barnes Incumbent |
27.5% | 6,225 |
| Barbara Frush Incumbent |
25.5% | 5,786 |
| Brian McDaniel | 11.8% | 2,682 |
| Devin Tucker | 6% | 1,358 |
| Total Votes | 22,659 | |
From 2002 to 2014, candidates for Maryland House of Delegates District 21 raised a total of $918,513. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $22,963 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
Campaign contributions, Maryland House of Delegates District 21
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $122,763 | 4 | $30,691 |
| 2012 | $14,875 | 3 | $4,958 |
| 2010 | $214,689 | 9 | $23,854 |
| 2008 | $63,200 | 3 | $21,067 |
| 2006 | $318,309 | 9 | $35,368 |
| 2004 | $81,526 | 3 | $27,175 |
| 2002 | $103,151 | 9 | $11,461 |
| Total | $918,513 | 40 | $22,963 |
