Mark N. Fisher | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Fisher in 2023 | |
| Member of theMaryland House of Delegates | |
| Assumed office January 12, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Sue Kullen (27B) |
| Succeeded by | Michael A. Jackson (27B) |
| Constituency | District 27B (2011–2015) District 27C (2015–present) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mark Nicholas Fisher (1962-08-03)August 3, 1962 (age 62) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Deena |
| Children | 3 |
Mark Nicholas Fisher (born August 3, 1962) is an Americanpolitician who representsDistrict 27C in theMaryland House of Delegates, which covers parts ofCalvert County. He previously representedDistrict 27B from 2011 to 2015.[1] He also hosts a podcast calledMark and the Millennials, which explores the divide between conservativemillennials and thebaby boomer generation.[2]
Fisher was born inBaltimore. He attendedGeorge Washington University, where he earned a B.A. in international affairs and economics.[1] After graduating, he became a managing member of telecommunications infrastructure company Telecom Capital Group LLC.[3] In 2003, Fisher founded Gray's Field Foundation, a nonprofit group to fund the preservation of a baseball field inOwings, Maryland.[1][4]
Fisher is aCatholic.[5] He is married and has three children,[1] and lives inPrince Frederick, Maryland.[6]
.jpg)
Fisher ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 27B in 2010, challenging incumbent Democratic legislatorSue Kullen. In an upset,[7] he defeated Kullen in the general election with 52.6 percent of the vote.[8] He was sworn in on January 12, 2011. He was a member of the House Ways and Means Committee from 2011 to 2015, and has been a member of the House Economic Matters committee since 2015.[1] A founding member of the Maryland Freedom Caucus,[9][10]Maryland Matters has described Fisher as one of the most vocal conservatives in the House of Delegates.[11]
During the 2021 legislative session, Fisher spoke against the state's new legislative redistricting map, claiming that Democrats hadgerrymandered multiple districts inAnne Arundel County to benefit the party.[12] After theMaryland General Assembly passed the new maps, Fisher joined the lawsuit against the new maps[13][14] and argued that his own district was gerrymandered, citing that it was drawn into Prince George's County.[15] TheSupreme Court of Maryland ruled that the new maps did not violate the state constitution in April 2022.[16]
During the 2025 legislative session, Fisher and other members of the Maryland Freedom Caucus forced a vote on whether the House of Delegates should holdpro forma sessions during the early weeks of the legislature; the vote failed 99–35, with two Republicans joining all Democrats in keeping the pro forma sessions as scheduled.[17] The following day, Fisher attended a pro forma session and sought to raise a question on whether a quorum is present, but was not recognized by House SpeakerAdrienne A. Jones, who gaveled the session to a close. Afterwards, Fisher called out to Jones from the House floor to raise questions about the constitutionality of pro forma sessions, arguing that the abbreviated sessions violated a section of theConstitution of Maryland that requires a "quorum of the majority" of members of the House of Delegates to hold a floor session. Jones acknowledged that she did not recognize Fisher during the session and that pro forma sessions were allowed under the House rules, which states that "a quorum is deemed present" for a pro forma session when the speaker and party leaders are present.[18]
During the 2013 legislative session, Fisher voted against a bill to index the state'sgas taxes to inflation.[19]
In February 2014, Fisher criticized Media Rights Capital, the production company behindHouse of Cards, for threatening to leave the state unless it was given millions of dollars in tax credits, calling it "ransom".[20]
In March 2014, Fisher voted against a bill that would raise thestate minimum wage to $10.10/hour. He also introduced an amendment to this bill that would exempt all businesses with 50 or fewer employees from the minimum wage increase, which would fail by a 45–88 vote.[21] In 2019, he voted against a bill that would raise the state minimum wage to $15/hour, calling it "socialism".[22]
During the 2016 legislative session, Fisher voted against a bill requiring employers to provide workers with seven days ofpaid sick leave per year, arguing it would cause restaurants to automate low-paying jobs.[23][24]
In March 2020, Fisher introduced an amendment to House Bill 932, which would implement a sales tax on digital services, that would have exempted educational products from the tax on the basis that the generated revenue would be going to theBlueprint for Maryland's Future. The amendment failed along party lines.[25]
In 2022, following a spike in gas prices as the result of theRusso-Ukrainian War, Fisher said he supported holding a special legislative session to suspend gas and electric taxes, eliminate retirement income and business property taxes, and lower the income tax rate.[6]
During the 2023 legislative session, Fisher introduced a bill to ban people or businesses associated with theGovernment of China from buying farmland in Maryland.[26]
During the 2011 legislative session, Fisher voted againstMaryland's Dream Act, which provided in-state tuition toundocumented immigrants.[27]
In March 2019, Fisher introduced an amendment to theMaryland state budget that would restrict $1 million of theUniversity System of Maryland budget until completion of a report to facilitate the exercise ofFirst Amendment rights on campus. The amendment failed by a vote of 42–96.[28]
In March 2020, Fisher introduced an amendment to theBlueprint for Maryland's Future (HB1300) that would allow students attending "failing schools" to transfer to an "alternative school" within the same county. His amendment was rejected by a vote of 41–93.[29] He opposes the Blueprint, saying that he would support "suspending and rewriting" the bill because of its cost.[6]
In April 2023, Fisher sent a letter to State Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury accusing theMaryland State Department of Education of hiding scores from failing scores by altering data files available on the department's website. An investigation conducted by the state inspector general found no evidence of these claims.[30]
In March 2020, Fisher voted against a bill that would prohibit stores from providing customers with plastic bags, calling it "Stalinist".[31] He voted against the bill again when it was reintroduced in 2021.[32]
In 2021, Fisher introduced a bill that would have prevented elected officials at the state and local level from using the government'selectric vehicle charging stations without paying for it. Democrats on the House Environment and Transportation Committee rewrote his bill to allow state employees and local elected officials free access to the charging stations for their personal vehicles. The committee then voted 17–5 to approve the changes and brought the bill to the House floor for debate, where Fisher proposed an amendment that would revert the bill back to its original state. His amendment was rejected by a vote of 47–80.[33]
During the 2022 legislative session, Fisher said he opposed the Climate Solutions Now Act, calling it a "takeover of the economy".[34]
During the 2013 legislative session, Fisher voted against the Firearm Safety Act of 2013, a bill that placed restrictions on firearm purchases and magazine capacity insemi-automatic rifles.[35]
Fisher opposed legislation to establish the Prescription Drug Affordability Board, suggesting it was a "price control" bill.[36] During the 2024 legislative session, he opposed a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to buy their own health insurance.[37]
Fisher has criticized theindictments against Donald Trump, predicting that the United States would "devolve into abanana republic".[38] In May 2024, he signed onto a letter condemning the jury's guilty verdict in theTrump hush money trial, calling the ruling a "political prosecution from a kangaroo court and left-leaning prosecutor" that is turning the U.S. justice system into a "third world parody of law and order".[39]
Fisher's district includes theCalvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Maryland's onlynuclear power plant.[40]
In February 2021, Fisher suggested that investing in thenuclear power industry could be a solution to theclimate crisis, arguing that there is not enough solar or wind infrastructure to address the climate emergency.[41] He advocated for nuclear power investments in the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2021.[42]
In March 2019, Fisher introduced legislation to include nuclear as a Tier 1 Fuel that could be used as part of the state's renewable portfolio. He later amended his bill to instead mandate a study on the future of the nuclear industry in Maryland, causing it to pass the House Economic Matters Committee by a vote of 20–1.[43] His bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 102–34, but would not receive a vote in the Senate.[44]
Fisher opposed a bill to add an amendment codifying abortion access rights to theConstitution of Maryland.[45]
During the 2023 legislative session, Fisher opposed the Trans Health Equity Act, a bill that would require the state'sMedicaid program to covergender-affirming treatment, comparingtransgender healthcare to "child mutilation" and the bookBrave New World, and calling it a violation of human rights.[46] He introduced an amendment to the bill to allow cancer victims to have theirovum frozen, which was rejected by the legislature.[47]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark N. Fisher | 1,816 | 64.8 | |
| Republican | Bob Schaefer | 756 | 27.0 | |
| Republican | Mike Blasey | 230 | 8.2 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark N. Fisher | 8,141 | 52.6 | |
| Democratic | Sue Kullen (incumbent) | 7,336 | 47.4 | |
| Write-in | 6 | 0.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark N. Fisher (incumbent) | 9,019 | 58.1 | |
| Democratic | Sue Kullen | 6,489 | 41.8 | |
| Write-in | 12 | 0.1 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark N. Fisher (incumbent) | 10,563 | 55.8 | |
| Democratic | Jason T. Fowler | 8,349 | 44.1 | |
| Write-in | 11 | 0.1 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark N. Fisher (incumbent) | 13,474 | 95.7 | |
| Write-in | 610 | 4.3 | ||
Media related toMark N. Fisher at Wikimedia Commons