Nino Mangione | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Mangione in 2019 | |
| Member of theMaryland House of Delegates | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Chris West |
| Constituency | District 42B (2019–2023) District 42A (2023–present) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Antonino D. Mangione (1987-04-01)April 1, 1987 (age 38) Baltimore County, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Relatives |
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| Alma mater | Towson University (BA) |
| Occupation | Radio personality |
| Signature |  |
Antonino D. "Nino"Mangione (/ˌmændʒiˈoʊni/ ⓘMAN-jee-OH-nee;[1] born April 1, 1987) is an American politician from theRepublican Party who is a member of theMaryland House of Delegates representingDistrict 42A since 2023, and District 42B from 2019 to 2023.[2][3] He also served as aBaltimore County co-chair for the state's Trump Victory Leadership County team.[4]
Mangione was born inBaltimore County, Maryland.[2] He graduated fromCalvert Hall College High School, where he played as asweeper for the school's soccer team,[5] and afterwards attendedTowson University, where he earned aBachelor of Arts degree in political science in 2009. After graduating, Mangione worked as an intern, and later a show host from 2017 to 2018, withWCBM 680, a talk radio station owned by his family.[2][3] His family has close ties toBaltimore's Italian-American community, with his grandfather, Joseph N. Zannino Jr., having been a member of theOrder Sons of Italy in America and the steering committee for the firstColumbus Day national holiday celebration.[6]
In July 2017, Mangione filed to run for Maryland House of Delegates.[3] He said that he was inspired to run for office by his late grandfather,Nicholas Mangione, a successful real estate developer who grew up in a poor Italian immigrant family.[7] He won the general election alongsideDemocratMichele Guyton with 28.6 percent of the vote.[8]
Mangione has come under criticism for variousconflicts of interest that could possibly arise from his relation with WCBM 680. While Mangione was a webmaster and a host, WCBM reposted several videos and posts advertising Mangione's campaign. The promotion from the station was not reported as in-kind contributions. Additionally, Mangione's campaignFacebook page reported that Towson University had offered a new scholarship solely for undocumented students, though according to a university spokesman it had never existed. WCBM then created a web page on its website about the scholarship, linking back to Mangione's campaign Facebook page. Mangione has stated that he does not see WCBM posts or his radio show asin-kind contributions to his campaign.[3]
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Mangione was sworn in as a member of the House of Delegates on January 9, 2019, and appointed to the Appropriations committee. He serves on the health & social services subcommittee and the oversight committee on pensions.[2]
In June 2023, Mangione announced that he would run for theMaryland Senate in District 42 in2026, challenging incumbent state senatorChris West,[9] who later announced he would not seek re-election.[10] He later announced that he would instead run for the Baltimore County Council, seeking to succeedWade Kach, who is retiring.[11]
During his 2018 campaign, Mangione ran on creating "safe communities" by getting tough on illegal drug dealers.[7] He introduced an amendment to legislation in the 2021 legislative session that would block people convicted as an adult for more than one murder when they were a minor from seeking reconsideration of priorlife without parole sentences; his proposal was rejected in a 54–79 vote.[12]
During the 2024 legislative session, Mangione introduced a bill that would sentence people convicted of first-degree murder todeath.[13][14]
During his 2018 campaign, Mangione supported expandingcharter schools.[7] During the 2020 legislative session, Mangione was one of two legislators to vote against legislation that would provide an additional $577 million in funding over 10 years tohistorically black colleges and universities in Maryland.[15]
During the 2021 legislative session, Mangione cosponsored legislation that would ban convicted sex offenders from being students at Maryland public schools.[16]
In July 2021, Mangione called for the firing ofBaltimore City school administrators after an investigation byProject Baltimore found that 41 percent of all Baltimore City high school students earned less than a 1.0grade-point average.[17]
In 2022, Mangione signed a pledge toMoms for Liberty.[18] During the 2024 legislative session, Mangione introduced a bill to ban "sexually explicit" material in public school libraries[19] and unsuccessfully sought to add the bill onto the Freedom to Read Act, which prohibits public and school libraries from banning books based on partisan, ideological, or religious reasons, or based an author's origin, background, or views.[20]
During his 2018 campaign, Mangione was a vocal opponent toillegal immigration and said that he would not support legislation that would turn Maryland into asanctuary state.[7] In January 2020, he voted to sustain GovernorLarry Hogan's veto on legislation that would allow Maryland high school graduates including undocumented immigrants to qualify for the lowest tuition rates at public colleges and universities under certain circumstances, saying that he feared the bill would encourage more illegal immigration.[21] During the 2025 legislative session, after a man who had entered the United States illegally was arrested in connection with themurder of Rachel Morin in June 2024, Mangione introduced the Rachel Morin Act, which would prohibit counties and towns from adopting sanctuary city policies and require jurisdictions to fully cooperate withImmigrations and Customs Enforcement agents.[22]
During protests against themurder of George Floyd in June 2020, protesters in theLittle Italy neighborhood of Baltimore tore down and threw astatue of Christopher Columbus into theJones Falls canal of theBaltimore Harbor.[23] Following this incident, Mangione and state delegateKathy Szeliga wrote to GovernorLarry Hogan calling on him to deploy theMaryland National Guard to protect the statue.[24] He later introduced legislation that would prohibit any person from destroying, damaging, vandalizing or desecrating a monument, memorial, or statue of historical significance.[25]
In 2023, Mangione voted against the Trans Health Equity Act, a bill that would require the state'sMedicaid program to covergender-affirming treatment.[26] He later criticized the legislature for passing the bill, saying that he was upset about the direction of the legislative session: "We've promoted issues like trans equity but we haven't really done anything about crime."[27]
Mangione is a cousin ofLuigi Mangione, aTowson man who in December 2024 was arrested and later charged with first-degree murder in connection with thekilling of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.[28][29] Following his arrest, Nino released a statement on behalf of the Mangione family expressing shock with Luigi's arrest and sympathy toward the Thompson family, and asked the public for prayers for everyone involved.[30] Mangione also postponed a campaign fundraising event that was to be held at Hayfields Country Club, which is owned by the Mangione family, in light of Luigi's arrest.[31]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Nino Mangione | 4,389 | 41.4 | |
| Republican | Tim Robinson | 3,471 | 32.7 | |
| Republican | Raymond C. Boccelli | 1,635 | 15.4 | |
| Republican | Justin Kinsey | 1,107 | 10.4 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Nino Mangione | 20,267 | 28.6 | |
| Democratic | Michele Guyton | 18,815 | 26.5 | |
| Republican | Tim Robinson | 18,090 | 25.5 | |
| Democratic | Sachin Hebbar | 13,670 | 19.3 | |
| Write-in | 53 | 0.1 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Nino Mangione (incumbent) | 12,009 | 58.6 | |
| Democratic | Paul V. Konka | 8,475 | 41.3 | |
| Write-in | 22 | 0.1 | ||
Mangione is the cousin of Baltimore County Delegate Nino Mangione, R-District 42A, the lawmaker's office confirmed.
Media related toNino Mangione at Wikimedia Commons