Natalie Ziegler | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Member of theMaryland House of Delegates from the9A district | |
| Assumed office January 11, 2023 Serving with Chao Wu | |
| Preceded by | Reid Novotny |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1955-09-05)September 5, 1955 (age 70) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | John Zirschky |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence(s) | Ellicott City, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation | Farmer |
Natalie Carroll Ziegler[1] (born September 5, 1955) is an American politician and farmer. She is a member of theMaryland House of Delegates for District 9A inHoward andMontgomery counties.[2]
Born in 1955 to mother Mary Carter Carroll and father John C. Ziegler,[1] Ziegler was raised inNew York City andBoston.[3] She graduated fromAbbot Academy in 1972 andOberlin College in 1977, receiving abachelor's degree with high honors in psychology, and later attended theJohns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, where she earned a master's degree in economics and American foreign policy in 1986.[4] She worked as a journalist and a guest booker forCNN,[3] and founded a jewelry manufacturing company with her husband in 2001.[2][5]
Ziegler is a fifth-generation[1] descendant ofCharles Carroll of Carrollton, a formerU.S. Senator from Maryland and a signer of theDeclaration of Independence.[6] She owns Carroll Mill Farm, a feed grain operation inEllicott City, Maryland.[3]
In 2018, Ziegler ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 9A, challenging incumbent Republican state delegatesTrent Kittleman andWarren E. Miller.[7] She won the Democratic primary on June 26, 2018, but was defeated by Kittleman and Miller in the general election on November 6.[8] Shortly after her loss, county executive-electCalvin Ball III named Ziegler to serve on the county's public works subcommittee transition team.[9]
In January 2020, Ziegler was appointed to theHoward Community College Board of Trustees. She was reappointed to the board in October 2021.[10][4]
In November 2021, Ziegler filed to run for state delegate in District 9A, seeking to succeed outgoing state delegateReid Novotny, who ran unsuccessfully forMaryland Senate.[11][12] She won a tight general election on November 8, 2022, coming in first.[13][14]
Ziegler was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 11, 2023.[15] She is a member of the House Environment and Transportation Committee.[16]
In September 2016, Ziegler supported and testified for a proposal to expand solar development on Howard County farmland.[17][18]
During the 2023 legislative session, Ziegler pushed back against a bill that would ban foreign governments from buying farmland in Maryland, worrying that the bill would "demonize people unfairly".[19]
Ziegler lives in Ellicott City with her husband, John Zirschky. Together, they have two children.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Natalie Ziegler | 4,860 | 51.7 | |
| Democratic | Steven M. Bolen | 2,848 | 30.3 | |
| Democratic | Michael David Gross | 1,696 | 18.0 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Trent Kittleman (incumbent) | 24,531 | 30.6 | |
| Republican | Warren E. Miller (incumbent) | 19,563 | 24.4 | |
| Democratic | Natalie Ziegler | 18,891 | 23.6 | |
| Democratic | Steven M. Bolen | 17,019 | 21.3 | |
| Write-in | 56 | 0.1 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Natalie Ziegler | 5,308 | 41.8 | |
| Democratic | Chao Wu | 3,942 | 31.0 | |
| Democratic | Steven M. Bolen | 3,448 | 27.2 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Natalie Ziegler | 17,767 | 26.68 | |
| Democratic | Chao Wu | 17,486 | 26.43 | |
| Republican | Trent Kittleman (incumbent) | 17,373 | 26.26 | |
| Republican | Jianning Zeng | 13,609 | 20.56 | |
| Write-in | 44 | 0.07 | ||