Kathy Szeliga (born October 10, 1961) is an American politician who has served as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

since January 12, 2011, and as Minority Whip since 2013. Szeliga was the Republican nominee for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

to replace

Barbara Mikulski Barbara Ann Mikulski ( ; born July 20, 1936) is an American politician and social worker who served as a United States senator from Maryland from 1987 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she also served in the United States House of Repr ...

, who retired.

Background

Szeliga was born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, in October 1961. She is of Polish descent. She was raised in a military family, her father being a lieutenant colonel in the US Army. Szeliga married her husband in 1980, and the couple struggled financially at first. Szeliga worked as a dishwasher, a maid, and a housekeeper. She entered college in her 30s, enrolling at

Towson State University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university h ...

and graduating summa cum laude with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in elementary education. She began working as a teacher in

Baltimore City Public Schools Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS), also referred to as Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) or City Schools, is a public school district in the city of Baltimore, state of Maryland, United States. It serves the youth of Baltimore Cit ...

and started a construction business with her husband. She began her political career after a family friend, James M. Kelly, was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates. She worked as a legislative aide to Del. James M. Kelly, then for Del. John G. Trueschler, and eventually became chief of staff for then-State Senator Andy Harris. Szeliga decided to run for Delegate after Del. J. B. Jennings decided to run for the State Senate. She was elected and immediately placed on the Appropriations Committee.

In the legislature

Szeliga serves on the Environment and Transportation Committee (since 2015), Rules and Executive Nominations Committee (since 2014), and Legislative Policy Committee (since 2015). She was previously a member of the Appropriations Committee (2011–15), House Emergency Medical Services System Work Group (2012), and Joint Committee on the Selection of the State Treasurer (2015). She is a member of the Women Legislators of Maryland Caucus (since 2011), Maryland Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus (since 2012), and Maryland Veterans Caucus (since 2012). In April 2013, Delegate Szeliga was elected into leadership by her peers and serves as the Whip in the House Republican Caucus. She serves with Leader

Nic Kipke Nicholaus Ryan Kipke (born January 26, 1979) is a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates as of 2007 and from 2013 to 2021 served as Minority Leader. He is a Delegate representing Maryland District 31 including all of Pasadena, Br ...

Anne Arundel County Anne Arundel County (; ), also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, whi ...

. Szeliga is the highest-ranking Republican woman in Maryland's state legislature.

Social media usage

Szeliga has maintained a presence on both Facebook and Twitter (since 2015 and 2009, respectively). She uses both accounts for multiple purposes: event promotions, viewpoints on upcoming bills, and other commentary. On March 26, 2022, Szeliga published a tweet in response to House Speaker Adrienne Jones, using profane language. Shortly thereafter Szeliga removed her response and apologized for it, saying it was intended to be private and was inappropriate.

US Senate campaign

Szeliga announced in November 2015 that she would be running for the Republican nomination to replace Senator

in the 2016 US Senate election in Maryland. She was the first Republican in the 2016 Senate primary to release ads on television. On April 15,

Citizens United Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

announced they had bought $25,000 worth of radio airtime to promote Del. Szeliga ahead of the April 26 primary. Szeliga won the primary on April 26, 2016, and faced Representative

Chris Van Hollen Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (born January 10, 1959) is an American attorney and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Maryland since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Van Hollen served as the U.S. representative ...

in the general election on November 8, 2016, in which she was defeated by a landslide 61% – 36% spread.

Election results

*2018 Republican Primary Election for Maryland House of Delegates – District 7 Retrieved August 15, 2018 ::Voters to choose up to three: : *2016 General Election for U.S. Senator from Maryland ::Voters to choose one: : *2016 Republican Primary Election for US Senator from Maryland Retrieved August 15, 2018 ::Voters to choose one: : *2014 General Election for Maryland House of Delegates – District 7 ::Voters to choose three: : *2014 Republican Primary Election for Maryland House of Delegates – District 7 Retrieved on August 15, 2018 ::Voters to choose up to three: : *2010 General Election for Maryland House of Delegates – District 7 ::Voters to choose three: : *2010 Republican Primary Election for Maryland House of Delegates – District 7 Retrieved on August 15, 2018 ::Voters to choose up to three: :

References

External links

Official Senate Campaign Site
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Szeliga, Kathy 1961 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians American politicians of Polish descent American women educators Candidates in the 2016 United States Senate elections Educators from Maryland Living people People from Baltimore County, Maryland Politicians from Baltimore Republican Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Towson University alumni Women state legislators in Maryland