Maryland Democratic Party

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Maryland Democratic Party






Political ideology	American Liberalism Progressivism Center-left
Political position
National affiliation	Democratic Party
Color(s)	Blue

The Maryland Democratic Party is the state affiliate of the United States Democratic Party in the U.S. State of Maryland. The current state party chairman is Michael E. Cryor.[1]

The Maryland Democratic Party is among the oldest, continuous existing political organizations in the world. It was on May 21, 1827, that a meeting of Andrew Jackson supporters organized a political structure in the State designed to help one of the national founders of our Party win the Presidency after he was denied victory in 1824 despite receiving the most total votes for his electors. (Similar to the 2000 Presidential election.) The first meeting of the Democratic (Jackson) Central Committee was held at the Atheneum in Baltimore City, located on the southwest corner of St. Paul and Lexington Streets.

Twelve delegates from each county and six delegates from Baltimore City were invited to attend. The label "Central Committee" was adopted along with a "Committee of Correspondence" which functioned like our present Executive Committee. Thomas M. Forman, Cecil County, was chosen to preside with William M. Beall, Frederick County, appointed Secretary and John S. Brooke, Prince George's County, appointed as Assistant Secretary. In addition to our historic founding, Maryland Democrats can boast about Baltimore being the birthplace of the National Political Convention and hosting the first six Democratic National Conventions from 1832 to 1852. On May 31, 1838, Maryland Democrats gathered in a state party convention to nominate William Grason for Governor. He became the first popularly elected Governor in Maryland with the help of central committees throughout the state.

After the ratification of the Suffrage Amendment in 1920, the Democratic State Central Committee added an equal number of women to its membership, a practice still embodied in National Party Rules and in the elections for Cecil County Democratic State Central Committee. From these historic beginnings, the Maryland Democratic Party has held statewide meetings throughout every era of national and state politics. This longevity, coupled with the storied and sterling participation of many Maryland political leaders, is a source of strength for the Maryland Democratic Party at all levels of political activity.