It should be clear by now to the Democratic Party that the Obama years were a downturn for the party across the US. The national party was so intoxicated by having their candidate as a popular US president, but during that time the Democrats lost 30 state legislatures, 21 in the 2010 midterm elections and 9 more in the 2014 midterm elections. They have slowly started to claw back majorities in a few of these chambers, but not in the vast majority, in large part due to rural voters no longer supporting a party who clearly prioritized the winning “Obama coalition” of white collar professional, Latinx, and Black voters. If the national party wants to be relevant again, it must start winning over voters in rural districts.

One such district, Maryland House District 29A, has been represented by the same Republican legislator since the 2014 election. This year, candidate Jennifer Clancy (she/her) is trying to become the first Democrat to hold the seat in 12 years. A millennial therapist, she raises her five children on her homestead in rural St. Mary’s County. Jennifer’s campaign is centered on a triad of issues: more readily available education, a stronger health care system (including the Maryland Children’s Health Program) and greater community resources.

Courtesy of Friends of Jennifer Clancy Campaign

Where are you based?
I’m located in Northern St. Mary’s County, in Southern Maryland which is about an hour and a half south of Washington, D.C.

What position are you running for?
I am running to be the very first woman elected to Maryland Delegate 29A.

How would you briefly summarize your platform?
Education, Healthcare, and Community. I stand for liberty and justice for all, equitable education, affordable and accessible healthcare, and a thriving community.

What inspired you to run?
Protection of my family, friends and those whose voices were being left unheard, whose lives were being targeted and threatened by executive, legislative and judicial decisions at both state and federal levels. I grew up believing in Liberty and Justice for All, and I have lived my life based on these inalienable rights, and working to make them true for all people.

Courtesy of Friends of Jennifer Clancy Campaign

What change are you hoping to bring to your district and country?
I believe people in this district deserve to have a more personal connection with their representative. Even in our door knocking, we're discovering 30-year locals who have no idea who their current legislator is. And that even includes the more conservative-leaning constituents. The change I hope to bring starts with first being present, being available, and using my background as a licensed therapist to listen to people intently and with genuine care about their concerns.

What do you feel are the most important issues right now, why, and how do you plan to tackle them?
There are many that deserve attention, however, my goals out the gate include:

Universal PreK, School Meals and School based Mental Health Funding,
Affordable housing, Increased access to specialty healthcare, Improved protections of our ecosystem,
Economic boosts for our watermen, farmers, and small businesses.
Most importantly, I pledge to protect your Constitutional rights so every member of our community is guaranteed Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

America is extremely divided these days. How would you hope to bridge that divide with your constituents to better unite Americans?
My experience as a licensed clinical professional counselor helps frame this for me in a very specific way. As an individual, we live our lives striving to belong, to be seen, understood, safe. We seek family as our first form of security. We seek community to expand that network of social, economic, and cultural support. There’s a primal interest in maintaining the cohesiveness of our communities; without our shared values, investments, and resources we feel exposed, vulnerable, and abandoned. Alone. This is our primal, deepest fear; the threat to our personal survival. In a thriving society, we return to one another, we become providers in times of need. However, when insecurity continues to rise, threats continue to loom, headlines are bombarding the nervous system from feeling safe amongst neighbors, a once thriving community deteriorates into one of mistrust and fear based regrouping. Restructuring and redefining who is safe, who are leaders, who can we trust. It creates Division, but it is reparable. I have experienced and witnessed the healing that comes from restorative practices. My campaign team and supporters are dedicated to the same mission. Promote unification through open mindedness, challenging harmful rhetoric that seeks to divide us, providing trusted, approachable leadership through ongoing collaboration. We seek to build a coalition of change makers who recommit to building bridges, feeding souls, strengthening alliances. Together, indivisible, we rise and thrive. We need to be reminded that we belong to one another, that we share more in common than we’ve been told, and that it is in our entire nation’s best interest to honor the unique and diverse communities that ensure humanity’s survival.

How do you see your unique identity and background to be an asset to you in office?
Women make up more than half of my district’s population. Women are taxpayers, breadwinners, parents, voters, and deserve to have someone who understands their lived experiences, who represents their voices as unique to the story of Southern MD. District 29A has never had a female representative in Annapolis. As a woman, how will I represent the best interests of men? As a wife to a law enforcement officer, mother of three sons, sister to a beloved brother, sister in law to a member of the military, as a daughter was fathered by both a retired railroad worker and a retired Navy serviceman, daughter in law to a retired engineer, not to mention the countless children taught in classrooms and counseled in confidence, I have a vested interest in ensuring male voices are maintained at the table, too. My family, like most families in the U.S., immigrated here generations ago. My family, like many, share roots with the indigenous. I value the sacrifices of my elders and strive to honor them by respecting the dream they held. To honor the earth, family, education, faith, community, career. To be humble and grounded in integrity, strive for truth and justice. To speak for the voiceless. To stand for the vulnerable. To feed the hungry. Clothe and house the poor. To love thy neighbor as thyself. These values are common to the majority of families I know and love, shared by neighbors near and far. I believe these qualities resonate with my district voters and make me uniquely qualified for this elected position.

What is your motto in life?
“Heal the world, make it a better place, for you and for me and the entire human race.” (Michael Jackson, Heal the World)

Where can we find out more about you?
FriendsOfJenniferClancy.com
Facebook.com/friendsofjenniferclancy
Instagram.com/friendsofjenniferclancy
TikTok @friendsofjenniferclancy

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Jennifer Clancy, Maryland House of Delegates District 29A