Mark Chang | |
|---|---|
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| Member of theMaryland House of Delegates from the32nd district | |
| Assumed office January 14, 2015 Serving with J. Sandy Bartlett,Mike Rogers | |
| Preceded by | Mary Ann Love |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mark Soo Chang (1976-07-09)July 9, 1976 (age 48) 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 theMaryland House of Delegates representingDistrict 32 since 2015. A member of theDemocratic Party, he unsuccessfully ran in the2024 U.S. House of Representatives election inMaryland's 3rd congressional district, losing to state senatorSarah Elfreth in the Democratic primary.
Chang was born on July 9, 1976, inGlen 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 worked at Annapolis General Hospital and who died when Chang was eleven years old.[2][3] He is a first-generationKorean-American, with his parents having moved to the United States fromSouth Korea in 1975.[3]
Chang graduated fromGlen Burnie High School and later attended theUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he earned aBachelor of Arts degree in psychology and graduated cum laude in 1999. In 2010, Chang attendedLoyola University Maryland, where he earned aMaster of Business Administration degree.[1]
Chang entered politics in 2003 by becoming a member of theAnne Arundel County Republican Central Committee.[1] In 2006, he ran for the Maryland House of Delegates as aRepublican 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 ExecutiveJohn R. Leopold. In 2012, he switched his party affiliation from Republican toDemocratic.[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 senatorJames 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 theMaryland General Assembly from Anne Arundel County, and the first in the state alongside state delegate-electDavid Moon.[2]
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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 wouldrun for Congress inMaryland's 3rd congressional district, seeking to succeed retiring U.S. RepresentativeJohn Sarbanes.[7] He was defeated in the Democratic primary election by state senatorSarah Elfreth on May 14, 2024, placing fifth with 5.0 percent of the vote.[8]
During the 2018 legislative session, Chang introduced legislation to makehuman trafficking a felony offense.[9]
In March 2021, Chang expressed concern following the2021 Atlanta spa shootings[10] and later attended and spoke at a rally at theLincoln Memorial honoring the victims.[11]
During the 2016 legislative session, Chang voted to override GovernorLarry Hogan's veto on a bill to provide $2 million towardMaryland Hall for the Creative Arts renovations.[12]
In 2019, Chang introduced legislation to fund developments at theLaurel Park.[13]
In January 2016, Chang voted against overriding GovernorLarry Hogan's veto on a bill restoring voting rights for felons on parole.[14]
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".[15] The bill was reintroduced in 2020, during which it passed and became law.[16]
| 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 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sarah Elfreth | 29,459 | 36.2 | |
| Democratic | Harry Dunn | 20,380 | 25.0 | |
| Democratic | Clarence Lam | 9,548 | 11.7 | |
| Democratic | Terri Hill | 5,318 | 6.5 | |
| Democratic | Mark Chang | 4,106 | 5.0 | |
| Democratic | Aisha Khan | 2,199 | 2.7 | |
| Democratic | Mike Rogers | 2,147 | 2.6 | |
| Democratic | John Morse | 1,447 | 1.8 | |
| Democratic | Abigail Diehl | 1,379 | 1.7 | |
| Democratic | Lindsay Donahue | 1,213 | 1.5 | |
| Democratic | Juan Dominguez | 1,205 | 1.3 | |
| Democratic | Michael Coburn (withdrawn) | 583 | 0.7 | |
| Democratic | Malcolm Thomas Colombo | 527 | 0.7 | |
| Democratic | Don Quinn | 408 | 0.5 | |
| Democratic | Kristin Lyman Nabors | 397 | 0.5 | |
| Democratic | Jeff Woodard | 352 | 0.4 | |
| Democratic | Gary Schuman | 286 | 0.4 | |
| Democratic | Mark Gosnell | 221 | 0.3 | |
| Democratic | Jake Pretot | 162 | 0.2 | |
| Democratic | Matt Libber | 159 | 0.2 | |
| Democratic | Stewart Silver | 78 | 0.1 | |
| Democratic | Danny Rupli | 34 | <0.1 | |