Craig Zucker
Member of theMaryland Senate from the14th district
Incumbent
Assumed office February 4, 2016
Preceded by	Karen S. Montgomery
Member of theMaryland House of Delegates from the 14th district
In office January 12, 2011 – February 4, 2016
Preceded by	Herman L. Taylor Jr. Karen S. Montgomery
Succeeded by	Pamela E. Queen
Personal details
Born	Craig Jason Zucker (1975-03-23)March 23, 1975 (age 50) Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Jenny
Children	2
Education	St. Thomas Aquinas College (BS) Johns Hopkins University (MA)
Website	Campaign website

Craig Jason Zucker (born March 23, 1975) is an American politician who has representedDistrict 14 in theMaryland Senate since 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the district in theMaryland House of Delegates from 2011 to 2016.

Zucker was born inEnglewood, New Jersey, and raised in nearbyTeaneck.^[1] He earned hisBachelor of Science fromSt. Thomas Aquinas College in 1997, and his masters degree in government fromJohns Hopkins University in 2004.^[2]

Zucker first got involved in politics as a college intern for U.S. SenatorsBill Bradley andCarl Levin, and later worked as a scheduler for SenatorBarbara Boxer. He worked as a legislative director to Maryland state delegatePeter Franchot from 1999 to 2000, afterwards working as a deputy district director for U.S. RepresentativeAlbert Wynn until 2004. Zucker served as the vice-chair of the Mid-County Recreation Advisory Board inMontgomery County, Maryland from 2004 to 2006, and as the deputy chief of staff to Comptroller Peter Franchot until 2010.^[2]

In 2002, Zucker unsuccessfully ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 14,^[3] placing fourth with 12.3 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary election.^[4]

In August 2024, Zucker became a senior vice president of strategic development and government relations at Service Coordination Inc.^[5]

Zucker was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 12, 2011, and was a member of the Appropriations Committee during his entire tenure. From 2015 to 2016, he served as the House chair of the Joint Audit Committee.^[2]

In December 2015, following the resignation of state senatorKaren S. Montgomery, Zucker applied to serve the remainder of her term in the Maryland Senate.^[6] His candidacy was backed by Senate presidentThomas V. Miller Jr.^[7] In January 2016, the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee voted to nominate Zucker to fill the seat,^[8] and GovernorLarry Hogan appointed him to the seat at the end of the week. Zucker was sworn in on February 4, 2016.^[9]

Zucker was a member of the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee until 2018, afterwards serving in the Budget and Taxation Committee.^[2] In December 2019, following the election ofBill Ferguson asPresident of the Maryland Senate, Zucker was named as the chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus.^[10] In August 2021, Ferguson appointed Zucker as the chair of the Capital Budget Subcommittee following the resignation ofDouglas J. J. Peters.^[11]

Since 2016, Zucker serves as the Senate member on the Maryland Commission on Disabilities.^[12]

In 2018, Zucker introduced a bill that would require the state to teachsexual consent. The bill passed and became law.^[13]

During the 2019 legislative session, Zucker introduced legislation that would add seats for a parent and teachers to theMaryland State Board of Education,^[14] and the Ready to Read Act, which requires school systems to provide additional support to kindergarten and first grade students with reading challenges. Both bills passed and became law.^[15][16]

In 2022, Zucker introduced a bill that would prohibit public schools from secluding other students except under certain conditions.^[17][18]

In 2016, Zucker voted to overrode GovernorLarry Hogan's veto on a bill that would restore voting rights to released felons.^[19]

During the 2017 legislative session, Zucker introduced a bill that would require Maryland to use anindependent redistricting commission to draw its congressional and legislative districts ifNew York,New Jersey,Virginia,North Carolina, andPennsylvania all passed legislation to do the same. The bill passed, but was vetoed by Governor Hogan.^[20]

In 2018, Zucker introduced a bill that would requiresocial media websites to record data on political advertisements and users targeted by them, which passed and became law without Governor Hogan's signature.^[21]

During the 2020 legislative session, Zucker introduced a bill to authorize the state to issuesports betting licenses to fund the state's sports wagering industry and public schools.^[22] The bill passed and became law.^[23] After voters approved a statewide referendum to legalize sports betting in the2020 general election, Zucker led a workgroup to develop a bill regulating the state's sports wagering industry,^[24] which passed and was signed into law by GovernorLarry Hogan.^[25]

During the 2022 legislative session, Zucker introduced a bill that would require theComptroller of Maryland to redirect $14 million from abandoned property funds to a fund providing theright to counsel in eviction cases.^[26] The bill passed and became law.^[27]

In November 2023, Zucker and eight other state senators signed a joint letter that threatened to defund immigrants rights groupCASA de Maryland because it had called for an immediate ceasefire in theGaza war and condemned the "utilization of US tax dollars to promote the ongoing violence."^[28]

In December 2019, Zucker participated in and spoke at a rally inOlney, Maryland, to support of thefirst impeachment of Donald Trump.^[29]

In March 2011, Zucker said he supported theCivil Marriage Protection Act, which legalizedsame-sex marriage in Maryland.^[30]

In 2013, Zucker voted for a bill to repeal the death penalty in Maryland.^[31]

During the 2018 legislative session and amid theMeToo movement, Zucker introduced legislation that would ban employers from imposingnon-disclosure agreements on workers reporting sexual harassment and require employers with more than 50 workers to disclose information about their records in maintaining harassment-free workplaces. The bill passed and was signed into law by GovernorLarry Hogan.^[32][33]

During the 2021 legislative session and following the suicide ofJamie Raskin's son, Tommy, Cullison introduced a bill named for Tommy that would allow people to opt into periodic calls from2-1-1 crisis counselors.^[34] The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Hogan.^[35]

During the 2012 legislative session, Zucker introduced legislation that would provide income tax breaks on up to $2 million of forgiven mortgage debt. The bill passed and was signed into law by GovernorMartin O'Malley.^[36]

In 2013, Zucker voted for a bill to index the state'sfuel taxes to inflation to pay for transportation projects.^[37]

During the 2020 legislative session, Zucker introduced a bill that would require the state to provide at least $500 million towardMaryland Transit Administration projects annually for five years.^[38] The bill died in committee.^[39]

In 2021, Zucker introduced legislation that would prohibit the Maryland Transit Administration from purchasing buses that are notzero-emission.^[40]

Zucker is married to his wife, Jenny. Together, they have two children and live inBrookeville, Maryland.^[1] His son isautistic.^[41] Zucker isJewish.^[42]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toCraig Zucker.

• "Members - Senator Craig J. Zucker".Maryland General Assembly. November 9, 2023. RetrievedNovember 21, 2023.
• Campaign website

• 1975 births
• Living people
• Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates
• Democratic Party Maryland state senators
• Jewish state legislators in Maryland
• Johns Hopkins University alumni
• St. Thomas Aquinas College alumni
• People from Brookeville, Maryland
• Politicians from Englewood, New Jersey
• Politicians from Teaneck, New Jersey
• 21st-century members of the Maryland General Assembly

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from June 2024
• Commons category link from Wikidata