Cheryl Kagan

Cheryl Kagan (born July 2, 1961 in Washington, D.C.) is a politician in the U.S. state of Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. She served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1995 to 2003, representing District 17 in Montgomery County, and has served in the Maryland Senate, representing the same district, since 2015.

Early and professional life

Kagan was born in Washington, D.C. in 1961 and grew up in suburban Montgomery County, Maryland, attending Winston Churchill High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Vassar College in 1983 and later attended the School of Public Affairs at the University of Maryland, College Park. Following her studies, she went on to work in the political field, both in government and in the non-profit sector. Among the organizations she worked for are the National Women's Political Caucus, Independent Action, Handgun Control, Inc., and, after leaving the Maryland House of Delegates in 2003, the Carl M. Freeman Foundation. During her time in the Maryland House of Delegates, she worked part-time as a substitute teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools.^[1] Kagan has also worked in a volunteer capacity on a number of political campaigns, for Democratic Party organizations, and for a variety of community organizations.^[1]

House of Delegates

In 1994, Kagan was elected to a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 17, which includes Rockville, Garrett Park and Gaithersburg in central Montgomery County. During her first term, she served on the Commerce and Government Matters Committee, switching to the Appropriations Committee following her re-election in 1998.^[1] Among the issues she worked on while in the legislature were women's issues, consumer protection, and education. She sponsored legislation requiring insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization and guaranteeing emergency medical care for rape victims.^[2]

2010 Senate campaign

In June, 2009, Kagan kicked off a campaign for Maryland Senate, running in the same legislative district in which she had previously served in the House of Delegates.^[3] She was challenging incumbent Senator Jennie M. Forehand in a race that Kagan ultimately lost by a small margin. The race received significant attention in local media and political blogs, not least for the extensive use of negative campaigning from both sides. One of the factors in the race was the wide age gap between the two candidates: Forehand was 74 as of February 2010, while Kagan was 48. Forehand has sought to portray her long service in the legislature as an asset, and is being supported by Maryland's powerful Senate President, Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr.^[4] Despite his support, Forehand was "outraised" (in campaign contributions) approximately three to one by Kagan during 2008 and 2009, something which was noted in local political blogs as being unusual for an incumbent.^[5]

2014 Senate campaign

In 2014, with the support of retiring Sen. Forehand, Kagan defeated incumbent Delegate Luiz Simmons in the June 24 primary, then went on to defeat Republican Steve Zellers in the November general election. She was consequently sworn in as Senator for the 17th district for the January 2015 legislative session. ^[6]

References