Carl W. Jackson | |
|---|---|
 Jackson in 2022 | |
| Member of theMaryland Senate from the8th district | |
| Assumed office February 5, 2025 | |
| Appointed by | Wes Moore |
| Preceded by | Kathy Klausmeier |
| Member of theMaryland House of Delegates from the 8th district | |
| In office October 21, 2019 – February 5, 2025 Serving with Harry Bhandari andNick Allen | |
| Appointed by | Larry Hogan |
| Preceded by | Eric M. Bromwell |
| Succeeded by | Kim Ross |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1984-10-27)October 27, 1984 (age 41) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Strayer University (BS,MBA) |
| Profession | Administrative analyst |
Carl W. Jackson (born October 27, 1984) is an American politician who has served as a member of theMaryland Senate representing the 8th district since 2025. A member of theDemocratic Party, he previously represented the district in theMaryland House of Delegates from 2019 to 2025.
Jackson was born inBaltimore, Maryland on October 27, 1984. He graduated fromOverlea High School in Baltimore County, Maryland and attendedStrayer University inWashington, D.C., where he earned aB.S. degree in business administration in 2008 and aM.B.A degree in 2017.[1] He worked as an administrative analyst for theUniversity of Maryland School of Social Work and served as a member of theUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore County Staff Senate from 2014 to 2019.[2]
Jackson was called to politics by PresidentBarack Obama exhortation at the end of his second term that young people interested in making a change should run for office. He entertained his political appetite by volunteering for the campaign ofJon Ossoff in the2017 Georgia's 6th congressional district special election.[3]
Jackson was an unsuccessful candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates inDistrict 8, a district that was seen as one of the swingiest of the state's swing districts.[4] He prevailed in the Democratic primary, receiving 24.8 percent of the vote,[5] but was defeated in the general election by a margin of 570 votes. After his election loss, he said that he was "so depressed he didn't know what to do."[3] In December 2018, Baltimore County executive-electJohnny Olszewski invited him to co-chair the public safety workgroup for his transition team[6] and he also later joined the Baltimore County Pedestrian and Bicycle Committee at the suggestion ofcounty councilwoman Cathy Bevins.[3]
In September 2019, following the resignation of state delegateEric M. Bromwell, who had resigned to take a job with the Baltimore County government, Jackson applied to fill his vacancy.[7] His candidacy was endorsed by Olszewski, state senatorKathy Klausmeier, Bromwell, state delegateHarry Bhandari, and Bevins.[3] In October 2019, GovernorLarry Hogan appointed Jackson to the House of Delegates following the recommendations of the Baltimore County Democratic Central Committee.[8][9]
.jpg)
Jackson was sworn in on October 21, 2019, to fill a vacancy in District 8 of theMaryland House of Delegates.[8] He is the first African-American legislator to represent the district.[10] He was assigned to the House Economics Matters Committee and is a member of theLegislative Black Caucus of Maryland and the Legislative Transit Caucus.[1]
In January 2025, after Klausmeier was electedBaltimore County Executive, Jackson toldMaryland Matters that he would apply to fill the remainder of Klausmeier's term in theMaryland Senate.[11] His candidacy was backed by U.S. representativeJohnny Olszewski, state delegateNick Allen,[12] and multiple local labor unions.[11] The Baltimore County Democratic Central Committee unanimously voted to nominate Jackson to the seat on January 28, 2025.[13] He was appointed by GovernorWes Moore and sworn in on February 5, 2025,[14] becoming the first African-American person to represent the 8th district in the Maryland Senate.[12]
Jackson introduced legislation in the 2021 legislative session that would make reporting false statements to police officers on the aspects of a person's identity a misdemeanor punishable under the state's hate crime statute by a $5,000 fine or three years of jail time.[15] The bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 130–6.[16]
During the 2021 legislative session, Jackson a bill that would ban registered sex offenders from being students inside public schools.[17] The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Hogan on May 18, 2021.[18]
During the 2022 legislative session, Jackson introduced a bill that would require schools to release air quality reports.[19]
During the 2026 legislative session, Jackson introduced legislation that would expand the Baltimore County inspector general's oversight authority to includeBaltimore County Public Schools.[20]
In February 2020, Jackson joined six other Democrats in voting against legislation that would mandatebackground checks on private sales and transfers of shotguns and rifles.[21]
In February 2021, Jackson joined eight other Democrats in voting against overriding a gubernatorial veto on a bill that would levy a tax ondigital advertising on large tech companies.[22]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eric M. Bromwell (incumbent) | 6,595 | 31.2 | |
| Democratic | Harry Bhandari | 5,941 | 28.1 | |
| Democratic | Carl W. Jackson | 5,246 | 24.8 | |
| Democratic | Joe Werner | 3,335 | 15.8 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eric Bromwell (incumbent) | 22,485 | 18.0 | |
| Democratic | Harry Bhandari | 22,094 | 17.7 | |
| Republican | Joseph C. Boteler III | 20,802 | 16.7 | |
| Democratic | Carl Jackson | 20,232 | 16.2 | |
| Republican | Joe Cluster (incumbent) | 20,084 | 16.1 | |
| Republican | Joe Norman | 18,898 | 15.2 | |
| Write-in | 99 | 0.1 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harry Bhandari (incumbent) | 19,702 | 21.62 | |
| Democratic | Carl W. Jackson (incumbent) | 18,950 | 20.79 | |
| Democratic | Nick Allen | 18,062 | 19.82 | |
| Republican | Kathleen A. Smero | 11,838 | 12.99 | |
| Republican | Timothy M. Neubauer | 11,259 | 12.36 | |
| Republican | Glen Geelhaar | 11,243 | 12.34 | |
| Write-in | 74 | 0.08 | ||
Media related toCarl W. Jackson at Wikimedia Commons