Leaving office January 1, 2027.Lost re-election in 2026. This page switches to the former-officeholder layout when the term ends.

DemocratIn office until January 1, 2027

Benjamin S. Barnes

Maryland State Delegate, District 21 since 2006. Lost re-election in 2026; leaves office in January 2027. Ran in 6 elections between 2006 and 2022, winning 6.

Maryland State Delegate, District 21Born 1975

Official website Wikipedia

In office: 20 yrs; Since 2006
Bills became law: 7; 22 sponsored, 2025–2026 session
Votes missed: 4.2%; Chamber median 2.8%
With party: 100%; On votes splitting the parties
Last margin: −1.2; Won 2022
Elections: 7; 2006–2026

Source: Wikidata, congress-legislators and Open States; 99chambers legislative recordsUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 1:51 PM ET

Committees

As of 2026-10.

Appropriations · chair
Federal Action Oversight
Legislative Policy
Rules and Executive Nominations
Spending Affordability

Source: Open States committeesUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 9:43 AM ET

Legislation

2025–2026 session · 22 sponsored · 7 became law

BillIntroCmteHouseSenateLaw

HB 854 School Construction - Nonpublic Special Education School Renovation Program - Established
Accessibility · Became law May 2026

HB 1267 Patuxent Research Refuge and Beltsville Agricultural Research Center - Zoning Classification (Protecting…
Agriculture · Became law May 2026

HB 1559 Children in Unlicensed Settings and Pediatric Hospital Overstay Patients - Placement
Administrative Agencies · Became law Apr 2026

HB 444 Public Safety - Immigration Enforcement Agreements - Prohibition
Administrative Agencies · Became law Feb 2026

Source: Open States billsUpdated Nov 6, 2026, 4:22 PM ET

Voting record

2025–2026 session · placement by roll-call votes

Where Barnes sits in the Maryland House of Delegates

Barnes is closer to the center than 39% of the chamber's Democrats.

Closest: Kim Ross, Melissa Wells, Charlotte Crutchfield

Source: 99chambers roll-call scalingUpdated Nov 6, 2026, 4:52 PM ET

With Barnes’s party

Votes with the chamber's Democrats100%

Black tick: the average of Democrats in the Maryland House of Delegates.

Source: 99chambers legislative scores from roll calls and cosponsorships

Key votes

Votes chosen for their effect, not their side: Barnes’s vote, each party’s majority, and the result. An orange vote differs from most Democrats.

Date	Bill	Barnes	Dem. majority	Rep. majority	Result
Apr 2, 2026	HB 191: Consumer Protection - Retail Transactions for Essential Consumer Goods - Cash Payments	Yes	Yes	No	Passed 99–28
Apr 2, 2026	SB 286: Public Safety - Elevator Inspection Certificates - Searchable Database	Yes	Yes	No	Passed 113–21
Apr 2, 2026	SB 249: Tobacco Product Licensees - Additional Licensure for Electronic Smoking Devices	Yes	Yes	No	Passed 106–30
Apr 2, 2026	HB 1109: Public Health Reform Act	Yes	Yes	No	Passed 95–18
Apr 2, 2026	SB 290: Baltimore City - Ordinance Enforcement - Fines and Penalties	Not voting	Yes	No	Passed 112–24

Source: 99chambers key votes from Congress.gov, Voteview and Open States roll calls

Career

Offices held, and every time Barnes was on a ballot. Filled marks are general elections won; hollow marks are primaries; an orange outline is a loss.

200620082010201220142016201820202022202420262028Maryland House of Delegates, District 21

Source: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)

Elections

Margin against the seat’s presidential baseline: how the seat voted for president in the same or nearest year.

Year	Race	Result	Margin	Seat	+/−
2026	Maryland Delegate District 21	Lost	—	—	—
2022	Maryland House of Delegates, District 21	Won	R+1.2	D+58.7	−59.9
2018	Maryland House of Delegates, District 21	Won	D+0.6	—	—
2014	Maryland House of Delegates, District 21	Won	R+1.5	—	—
2014	Maryland House of Delegates, District 21 (primary)	Won	−1.1	—	—
2010	Maryland House of Delegates, District 21	Won	D+0.4	—	—
2006	Maryland House of Delegates, District 21	Won	D+0.3	—	—