Nancy Jacobs (born October 27, 1951 in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

) is a former Maryland State Senator representing District 34.

Early life, education, and early career

Jacobs attended Bridgeport High School in

Bridgeport, West Virginia Bridgeport is a city in eastern Harrison County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 9,325 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Clarksburg micropolitan area. The town of Bridgeport had its beginning in pre-American Revolutionary W ...

. After high school, she attended

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...

, where she graduated in 1973 with her

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

in journalism and speech. After college, she began her career at

WSLS-TV WSLS-TV (channel 10) is a television station licensed to Roanoke, Virginia, United States, serving the Roanoke– Lynchburg market as an affiliate of NBC. Owned by Graham Media Group, the station maintains studios on Fifth Street in Roanoke, an ...

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is lo ...

. She became the owner and operator of West Shore Indoor Tennis Club,

Edgewood, Maryland Edgewood is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Harford County, Maryland, Harford County, Maryland, United States. The population was 25,562 at the 2010 census, up from 23,378 in 2000. Geography E ...

where she worked until 1984. Then in 1985, Jacobs became the communications coordinator for the Maryland

Concerned Women for America Concerned Women for America (CWA) is a socially conservative, evangelical Christian non-profit women's legislative action committee in the United States. Headquartered in Washington D.C., the CWA is involved in social and political movements, t ...

. She was also a realtor from 1987 until 1991.

Maryland House of Delegates

Elections

In 1994, incumbent

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 ...

State Delegate David R. Craig decided to retire in order to run for a seat in the

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...

. Jacobs ran and ranked first place with 23% of the vote. The other two candidates who won the district were incumbent Democrats Rose Mary Hatem Bonsack (23%) and

Mary Louise Preis Mary Louise Preis (born October 10, 1941) is an American politician who represented district 34 in the Maryland House of Delegates. She was first elected in 1990 and served until 1999. Early life and education Delegate Preis was born in Jacksonvi ...

(22%). In 1998, she decided to retire after one term to run for a seat in the State Senate.

Tenure

She was Minority Deputy Whip from 1997 until 1999.

Committee assignments

*House Judiciary Committee

Maryland Senate

Elections

Nancy Jacobs was first elected to the Maryland State Senate in 1999 to represent District 34, which covers portions of Harford and

Cecil County Cecil County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 census, the population was 103,725. The county seat is Elkton. The county was ...

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 1998, she won the seat vacated by fellow Republican David R. Craig, who was the State Senator for District 34 for only four years. Jacobs won a close election against Democratic challenger and former fellow Delegate

, whom she only defeated by 139 votes out of over 37,000 votes cast. In 2002, the election was a different story. This time she won with over 60% of the vote, defeating Democrat Arthur Henry Helton, Jr. The election in 2006 was a little closer. That year she defeated Democrat William B. Kilby with 57% of the vote. In 2013 Jacobs declared to her supporters that she would not run for re-election in 2014.

Tenure

During the 2007 session of the Maryland General Assembly, Senator Jacobs sponsored Maryland's version of

Jessica's Law Jessica's Law is the informal name given to a 2005 Florida law, as well as laws in several other states, designed to protect potential victims and reduce a sexual offender's ability to re-offend. A version of Jessica's Law, known as the Jessica ...

. Her bill was passed by a 139–0 vote in the House and 43–3 in the Senate and has been signed into law by the Governor. She was elected Senate Minority Whip in 2009 and was the first woman in Maryland history to become the Senate Minority Leader in 2011. She retired from the Senate in 2015

Committee assignments

*Judicial Proceedings Committee *Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families *Joint Oversight Committee on the Department of Juvenile Services

2012 congressional election

After redistricting, Jacobs decided to run in the newly redrawn

Maryland's 2nd congressional district Maryland's 2nd congressional district elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives every two years. The district comprises parts of Howard, Harford, Baltimore, and Anne Arundel Counties, as well as small portions of th ...

and challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman

Dutch Ruppersberger Charles Albert "Dutch" Ruppersberger III ( ; born January 31, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2003. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as an assistant state attorney of ...

. She won the Republican primary in April with 62% of the vote. Ruppersberger defeated her 66%-31%.

Electoral history

*2006 Race for Maryland State Senate – District 34 Retrieved on Oct. 13, 2007 : *2002 Race for Maryland State Senate – District 34 Retrieved on Oct. 13, 2007 : *1998 Race for Maryland State Senate – District 34 Retrieved on Oct. 13, 2007 : *1994 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 34 Retrieved on Oct. 13, 2007 Voters choose three: :

References

External links

* * http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/05sen/html/msa12249.html * http://www.nancyjacobs.com/site/
Nancy Jacobs for Congress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Nancy Republican Party Maryland state senators Republican Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates 1951 births Living people People from Edgewood, Maryland Politicians from Charleston, West Virginia Women state legislators in Maryland West Virginia University alumni 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians Candidates in the 2012 United States elections