DemocratIn office since Nov 2018

Katie Fry Hester

Maryland State Senator, District 9 since 2018. Ran in 2 elections between 2018 and 2022, winning 2. Re-elected in 2026. Next on the ballot in 2030.

Maryland State Senator, District 9

Official website Wikipedia

In office: 7 yrs; Since 2018
Bills became law: 41; 108 sponsored, 2025–2026 session
Votes missed: 3.8%; Chamber median 3.2%
With party: 93%; On votes splitting the parties
Last margin: +34.3; Won 2026
Next election: 2030; Nov 5, 2030

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

Committees

As of 2026-10.

Committee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Biotechnology · chair
Committee on Fair Practices and State Personnel Oversight · chair
Rules · chair
Audit and Evaluation
Committee on Legislative Ethics
Education, Energy and the Environment
Federal Action Oversight

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

Legislation

2025–2026 session · 108 sponsored · 41 became law

BillIntroCmteSenateHouseLaw

SB 263 Education - Dependent Children of Active Service Members - Advance Enrollment Procedures
Armed Forces and Uniformed Services · Became law May 2026

SB 892 Health Occupations, Public Health, and Insurance - Menopause - Provider Training Coverage Requirements,…
Certifications · Became law May 2026

SB 509 Higher Education - Workforce Pell Grant Program - Implementation
Accreditation · Became law May 2026

SB 720 Education - Artificial Intelligence - Guidelines, Professional Development, and Collaborative (Artificial…
Accessibility · Became law May 2026

SB 204 Public Schools - Maryland Civic Excellence Program - Established
Applicants and Applications · Became law May 2026

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

Voting record

2025–2026 session · placement by roll-call votes

Where Hester sits in the Maryland State Senate

Hester is closer to the center than 84% of the chamber's Democrats.

Closest: Shaneka Henson, Dawn Gile, Carl Jackson

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

With Hester’s party

Votes with the chamber's Democrats93%

Black tick: the average of Democrats in the Maryland State Senate.

Source: 99chambers legislative scores from roll calls and cosponsorships

Key votes

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

Date	Bill	Hester	Dem. majority	Rep. majority	Result
Mar 27, 2026	HB 711: Data Privacy - Consumer Data, Public Records, and Message Switching System (Data Privacy…	Yes	Yes	No	Passed 28–8
Mar 27, 2026	SB 594: Cannabis - Advertising - Alterations	Yes	Yes	No	Passed 38–8
Mar 27, 2026	SB 12: Residential Rental Apartments - Air-Conditioning Requirement	Yes	Yes	No	Passed 35–11
Mar 27, 2026	HB 141: State Personnel - Collective Bargaining - Graduate Assistants	Yes	Yes	No	Passed 32–11
Mar 27, 2026	HB 1249: Certified Recovery Residences - Refusing Services to Individuals Receiving…	Yes	Yes	No	Passed 36–10

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

Career

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

20182019202020212022202320242025202620272028Maryland State Senate, District 9

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 State Senate, District 9	Won	D+34.3	D+27.0	+7.3
2022	Maryland State Senate, District 9	Won	D+15.9	D+30.0	−14.1
2018	Maryland State Senate, District 9	Won	D+1.7	—	—