Legality of Cannabis by U.S. Jurisdiction

Darryl Barnes
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 25th district
In office
January 14, 2015 – April 15, 2023
Preceded byAisha Braveboy and Melony G. Griffith
Succeeded byKent Roberson
Personal details
Born
Darryl Lamont Barnes

(1965-04-21) April 21, 1965 (age 58)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children2
Residence(s)Upper Marlboro, Maryland, U.S.

Darryl Lamont Barnes (born April 21, 1965) is an American politician who was previously a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 2015 to 2023.[1] Barnes has represented Maryland's 25th District since 2015.[2] He also served as Deputy Majority Whip from 2017 to 2023, and was the Chair of Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland from 2018 to 2022.

Early life and career[edit]

Barnes was born in Washington, D.C., on April 21, 1965. He attended High Point High School in Beltsville, Maryland and graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a degree in computer information systems. He is a small business owner, serving as the President of Barnes International, Ltd. since 2003.[1]

In the legislature[edit]

Barnes was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 14, 2015.[1]

In December 2016, state senator Ulysses Currie announced that he would not seek re-election in the 2018 elections, citing his poor health. Barnes was initially interested in running for the seat,[3] but told the Baltimore Afro-American that he would be seeking re-election in the House of Delegates that year instead.[4]

On April 15, 2023, Barnes resigned from the Maryland House of Delegates to become a partner at the Annapolis lobbying firm Evans, Barnes & Associates.[5]

Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland[edit]

Barnes speaking at a Legislative Black Caucus breakfast in 2019

On March 29, 2018, the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland voted to elect Barnes as its Chair, making him the first man to lead the caucus in more than a decade.[6] As caucus chairman, Barnes rolled out a long-term policy platform termed the 2030 Maryland Black Agenda, which focused on affordable housing, criminal justice reform, education, health care, and economic justice.[7][8] In 2019, Barnes stated that "every bill that goes through this year should have the stamp of the Legislative Black Caucus on it."[9]

Ahead of the vote to choose the next Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, Barnes organized support behind electing a member of the Legislative Black Caucus to serve as the next Speaker.[10] On April 29, 2019, Delegate Regina T. Boyce resigned from the caucus, accusing Barnes of saying, "We are going to let a white lesbian be the speaker of the House?" an apparent reference to Delegate Maggie L. McIntosh, the first openly gay legislator in Maryland history. Barnes said he did not mean to disparage McIntosh, but later asserted he would never use incendiary language about a colleague.[11] Later that day, members of the caucus announced that they had agreed to vote for Delegate Dereck E. Davis as the next Speaker. State legislators would end up electing Delegate Adrienne A. Jones as the next Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates on May 1, 2019.[12]

In October 2021, Barnes hosted a gubernatorial forum at the Legislative Black Caucus Reception,[13] where he challenged all attending candidates (Rushern Baker (D), Jon Baron (D), Dan Cox (R), Robin Ficker (R), Peter Franchot (D), Doug Gansler (D), Ashwani Jain (D), John King, Jr. (D), David Lashar (L), Wes Moore (D), Tom Perez (D), and Mike Rosenbaum (D)) to post a Black agenda to their campaign websites by November 1. Candidates who complied with Barnes' challenge include Franchot, Moore, King, and Perez.[14] Barnes later endorsed Franchot's campaign for governor, but switched his endorsement to Moore after he won the Democratic nomination.[15]

On September 27, 2022, Barnes announced that he would step down as chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland on December 5, 2022.[16] He was succeeded by state delegate Jheanelle Wilkins.[17]

Committee assignments[edit]

  • Ways and Means Committee, 2015–present (finance resources subcommittee, 2015–2018; revenues subcommittee, 2015–2018; election law subcommittee, 2017–2018; chair, local revenues subcommittee, 2019–present; member, revenues subcommittee, 2020–present; racing & gaming subcommittee, 2021–present)
  • House Cannabis Referendum and Legalization Work Group, 2021–present
  • Tax Credit Evaluation Committee, 2017–2021
  • Work Group to Address Police Reform and Accountability in Maryland, 2020

Other memberships[edit]

  • 2nd Vice-Chair, Prince George's County Delegation, 2018–present (county affairs committee, 2015–2017; vice-chair, 2017–present, & chair, 2018–present, education committee)
  • Chair, Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, 2018–present (parliamentarian, 2015–2016; 1st vice-chair, 2016–2018)
  • Maryland Veterans Caucus, 2015–present

Electoral history[edit]

Maryland House of Delegates 25th District Democratic Primary Election, 2014[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dereck E. Davis 9,088 26
Democratic Angela Angel 7,104 20
Democratic Darryl Barnes 5,702 16
Democratic Juanita D. Miller 3,804 11
Democratic Nick Charles 3,032 9
Democratic Matthew F. Fogg 1,713 5
Democratic Tony Jones 1,498 4
Democratic Geraldine Gerry Eggleston 1,299 4
Democratic Larry R. Greenfield 1,094 3
Democratic Stanley Onye 1,014 3
Maryland House of Delegates 25th District General Election, 2014[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Angela Angel 26,792 36
Democratic Dereck E. Davis 23,593 32
Democratic Darryl Barnes 23,372 32
Other/Write-in Other/Write-in 161 0
Maryland House of Delegates 25th District Democratic Primary Election, 2018[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Darryl Barnes 13,050 27
Democratic Dereck E. Davis 12,152 25
Democratic Nick Charles 8,330 17
Democratic Wala Blegay 6,217 13
Democratic Kent Roberson 3,126 6
Democratic Sherman R. Hardy 2,200 5
Democratic Stanley Onye 2,070 4
Democratic Maurice Culbreath 2,041 4
Maryland House of Delegates 25th District General Election, 2018[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Darryl Barnes 36,845 35
Democratic Dereck E. Davis 35,229 33
Democratic Nick Charles 33,411 32
Other/Write-in Other/Write-in 474 0

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Darryl Barnes, Maryland State Delegate". msa.maryland.gov.
  2. ^ "Maryland House of Delegates District 25". ballotpedia.com.
  3. ^ Wiggins, Ovetta (November 29, 2016). "Maryland state Sen. Ulysses Currie rescinds resignation". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  4. ^ "Currie's Wife Acts as 'Shadow' Senator". Baltimore Afro-American. February 14, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  5. ^ Ford, William J. (April 5, 2023). "Del. Darryl Barnes will leave legislature, become partner in Annapolis firm". Maryland Matters. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  6. ^ Adkins, Lenore (April 13, 2018). "New Maryland Black Legislative Caucus Chair Lays Out Vision". Baltimore Afro-American. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  7. ^ Kurtz, Josh (May 16, 2018). "Black Caucus Plans Long-Term Policy Agenda". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  8. ^ Ford, William J. (January 2, 2019). "Education, Criminal Justice Among Priorities for Black Lawmakers". Washington Informer. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  9. ^ DePuyt, Bruce (January 9, 2019). "Legislative Leaders See Progressive Initiatives Advancing". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  10. ^ Gaines, Danielle E.; DePuyt, Bruce (April 17, 2019). "Race for Speaker Intensifies Amid Speculation GOP Lawmakers Could Hold the Key". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  11. ^ DePuyt, Bruce (December 26, 2019). "TOP 10 LIST #5 Del. Boyce Resigns from Black Caucus as Controversy Mounts Over Speaker Vote". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  12. ^ Gaines, Danielle E. (May 1, 2019). "Annapolis Reflects on a Historic Vote". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  13. ^ Gaskill, Hannah (October 15, 2021). "At Legislative Black Caucus Reception, Governor Candidates Asked to Lay Out Their Policies to Bolster the Black Agenda". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  14. ^ Ford, William J. (November 3, 2021). "Del. Barnes: 'Disappointed' by Black Agendas of Some Gubernatorial Candidates". Washington Informer. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  15. ^ Ford, William (July 22, 2022). "Franchot Concedes in Maryland Gubernatorial Race". The Washington Informer. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  16. ^ Ford, William; Kurtz, Josh (September 27, 2022). "Maryland Black Caucus will have new leadership with resignations of Dels. Barnes, Brooks". Maryland Matters. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  17. ^ Kinnally, Kevin (December 7, 2022). "MD Black Caucus Announces New Chair". Maryland Association of Counties. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  18. ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  19. ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial General Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  20. ^ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  21. ^ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial General Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darryl_Barnes