Mark Chang | |
---|---|
Member of the
Maryland House of Delegates from the 32nd district | |
Assumed office January 14, 2015 Serving with
J. Sandy Bartlett,
Mike Rogers | |
Preceded by | Mary Ann Love |
Personal details | |
Born | Mark Soo Chang July 9, 1976 Glen Burnie, Maryland, U.S. |
Political party |
Republican (before 2012) Democratic (since 2012) |
Education |
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (
BA) Loyola University Maryland ( MBA) |
Mark Soo Chang (born July 9, 1976) is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 32 since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he is currently a candidate in the 2024 election to the U.S. House of Representatives in Maryland's 3rd congressional district.
Chang was born on July 9, 1976, in Glen Burnie, Maryland. [1] He was one of three children born to Hak Jin Chang, who was a small business owner during the 1980s and 1990s, and his wife, who died when Chang was eleven years old. [2] He is a first-generation Korean-American. [3]
Chang graduated from Glen Burnie High School and later attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and graduated cum laude in 1999. In 2010, Chang attended Loyola University Maryland, where he earned a Master of Business Administration degree. [1]
Chang entered politics in 2003 by becoming a member of the Anne Arundel County Republican Central Committee. [1] In 2006, he ran for the Maryland House of Delegates as a Republican and was defeated in the general election with 17.1 percent of the vote. [4] After his defeat, Chang went to work as a community liaison for Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold. In 2012, he switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democratic. [5] Chang was replaced by County Executive Laura Neuman after she took office following Leopold's corruption conviction and subsequent resignation, [6] and he subsequently worked as a legislative aide to state senator James E. DeGrange Sr. [4]
In 2014, Chang again ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 32, this time as a Democrat. He won the general election in November 2014, becoming the first Korean-American elected to the Maryland General Assembly from Anne Arundel County, and the first in the state alongside state delegate-elect David Moon. [2]
Chang was sworn into the House of Delegates on January 14, 2015. He has been a member of the Appropriations Committee during his entire tenure, and became the committee's vice chair in 2021. [1]
On December 5, 2023, Chang announced that he would run for Congress in Maryland's 3rd congressional district, seeking to succeed retiring U.S. Representative John Sarbanes. [7]
During the 2018 legislative session, Chang introduced legislation to make human trafficking a felony offense. [8]
In March 2021, Chang expressed concern following [9] and later attended and spoke at a rally at the Lincoln Memorial honoring the victims of the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings. [10]
During the 2016 legislative session, Chang voted to overrode Governor Larry Hogan's veto on a bill to provide $2 million toward Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts renovations. [11]
In 2019, Chang introduced legislation to fund developments at the Laurel Park. [12]
In January 2016, Chang voted against overriding Governor Larry Hogan's veto on a bill restoring voting rights for felons on parole. [13]
During the 2019 legislative session and following incidents involving nooses on school campuses in 2018, Chang introduced a bill that would ban the use of nooses or swastikas to "threaten or intimidate someone". [14] The bill was reintroduced in 2020, during which it passed and became law. [15]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mark S. Chang | 3,913 | 30.4 | |
Republican | Terry R. Gilleland Jr. (incumbent) | 2,927 | 22.7 | |
Republican | Wayne Charles Smith | 2,829 | 21.9 | |
Republican | Tiger Pimentel | 1,796 | 13.9 | |
Republican | Robert Middleswarth | 1,426 | 11.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Pamela Beidle | 17,964 | 18.6 | |
Democratic | Mary Ann Love (incumbent) | 17,697 | 18.3 | |
Democratic | Theodore J. Sophocleus (incumbent) | 17,661 | 18.3 | |
Republican | Mark S. Chang | 16,569 | 17.1 | |
Republican | Terry R. Gilleland Jr. (incumbent) | 13,632 | 14.1 | |
Republican | Wayne Charles Smith | 13,153 | 13.6 | |
Write-in | 75 | 0.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Pamela Beidle (incumbent) | 4,631 | 25.9 | |
Democratic | Mark S. Chang | 3,910 | 21.8 | |
Democratic | Theodore J. Sophocleus (incumbent) | 3,232 | 18.0 | |
Democratic | Tonja McCoy | 2,364 | 13.2 | |
Democratic | Spencer Dove | 2,357 | 13.2 | |
Democratic | Steven D. Wyatt | 1,420 | 7.9 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Pamela Beidle (incumbent) | 17,120 | 20.0 | |
Democratic | Mark S. Chang | 15,904 | 18.6 | |
Democratic | Theodore J. Sophocleus (incumbent) | 14,995 | 17.5 | |
Republican | Tim Walters | 13,066 | 15.3 | |
Republican | Mark Angell | 12,327 | 14.4 | |
Republican | Joseph Fioravante | 12,012 | 14.0 | |
Write-in | 85 | 0.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Mark S. Chang (incumbent) | 24,498 | 20.9 | |
Democratic | J. Sandy Bartlett | 24,220 | 20.7 | |
Democratic | Mike Rogers | 23,316 | 19.9 | |
Republican | Patty Ewing | 16,340 | 13.9 | |
Republican | Mark E. Bailey | 14,520 | 12.4 | |
Republican | Tim Walters | 14,158 | 12.1 | |
Write-in | 150 | 0.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Mark S. Chang (incumbent) | 21,755 | 22.4 | |
Democratic | J. Sandy Bartlett (incumbent) | 20,988 | 21.6 | |
Democratic | Mike Rogers (incumbent) | 20,597 | 21.2 | |
Republican | Monica L. W. Smearman | 11,384 | 11.7 | |
Republican | Michael Jette | 11,213 | 11.5 | |
Republican | Michele Speakman | 11,169 | 11.5 | |
Write-in | 107 | 0.1 |