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Christopher T. Adams

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Christopher T. Adams
Adams in 2021
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 37B district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 14, 2015
Preceded byAdelaide C. Eckardt
ConstituencyCaroline, Dorchester, Talbot, and Wicomico counties
Personal details
Born (1972-06-19) June 19, 1972 (age 52)
Salisbury, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Children3
Alma materSalisbury University (BS, MBA)

Christopher T. Adams (born June 19, 1972) is an American politician who has served as a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 37B, since 2015.[1]

Early life and career

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Adams was born on June 19, 1972, in Salisbury, Maryland, where he attended Wicomico High School in 1990. He graduated from Salisbury University with a Bachelor of Science in business management in 1994 and a M.B.A. in 1996.[1][2] A fifth generation Eastern Shore native,[3] he is married and has three children.[4]

Adams worked as a salesman from 1992 to 1995 and sales manager from 1995 to 2001 at Value Carpet One. He has served as president of Value Carpet One since 2001.[1]

In October 2013, Adams declared his candidacy for the Maryland House of Delegates.[2] He prevailed in the Republican primary alongside Johnny Mautz, earning 24.5 percent of the vote.[5] He won the general election with 30.3 percent of the vote.[6]

In the legislature

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Adams has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates since January 14, 2015, representing District 37B.[1] He served as the House minority whip from April through December 2021.[7][8]

In 2018, Maryland Matters listed Adams as one of the ten most vulnerable House incumbents in the June 2018 General Assembly primaries.[9] Adams would survive his primary with 29.9 percent of the vote[10] and would be re-elected with 33.9 percent of the vote in the general election.[11]

Committee assignments

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  • Economics Matters Committee, 2015–present (business regulation subcommittee, 2015–present; property & casualty insurance subcommittee, 2015–2018; unemployment insurance subcommittee, 2015–2018; banking, consumer protection & commercial law subcommittee, 2019–present)
  • Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, 2021
  • Legislative Policy Committee, 2021

Other memberships

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  • Deputy Minority Whip, 2021
  • Minority Whip, 2021
  • House Chair, Dorchester County Delegation, 2015–present
  • Member, Maryland Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus, 2015–present
  • Maryland Veterans Caucus, 2015–present (house executive board, 2016–present)

Political positions

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Adams is a self-described constitutional conservative who believes that the Constitution should be the basis for which lawmakers operate.[2]

Economy

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In 2019, Adams voted to sustain Governor Larry Hogan's veto on legislation that would increase the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour.[12]

Adams opposed legislation introduced in the 2021 legislative session that would require government-funded construction projects to pay prevailing wages on contracts over $250,000 or when at least 25% of a project's construction costs are from state funds, arguing that the bill would hurt small, minority- and women-owned contractors the most and raise costs for smaller governments. The Maryland General Assembly voted along party lines to override Governor Hogan's veto on the bill in April 2021.[13]

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Adams defended Governor Hogan's decision to cut federal unemployment benefits, saying that the most direct way to get money to people "is to put them back on the payroll working".[14]

Environment

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During his 2014 campaign, Adams said that he supports initiatives aimed at restoring wetlands, eliminating raw sewage discharge, cleaning Maryland's headwaters, dredging the Conowingo Reservoir, and improving wastewater treatment plants in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., as a means of improving the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay.[15]

Adams introduced legislation during the 2018 legislative session that would have prohibited the construction of a wind farm 30 miles off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland. The bill received an unfavorable committee report.[16]

During the 2019 legislative session, Adams was one of ten delegates who voted against the Clean Energy Jobs Act, a bill that would require electric utilities use 50 percent renewable energy by 2030.[17] Adams was one of six Republican delegates to receive a score of 0 percent on the annual Maryland League of Conservation Voters scorecard.[18]

Adams proposed an amendment to a water contamination bill introduced during the 2021 legislative session that would have blocked the bill from taking effect without greater guidance from state and federal environmental regulators. The amendment failed to pass in a vote on 42-89.[19]

Healthcare

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Adams proposed an amendment to prescription drug pricing legislation passed during the 2019 legislative session that would have set up a pharmacy benefits manager for the state. The amendment failed to pass in a vote on 39-95.[20]

During the 2021 legislative session, Adams voted against legislation that would provide free menstrual products in school bathrooms.[21]

Housing

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Adams introduced legislation during the 2016 legislative session that would allow counties to reverse a state rule requiring fire sprinklers to be installed on new and renovated single-family homes.[22]

Adams opposed tenant relief legislation passed during the 2021 legislative session that increased filing fees for cases other than summary ejectments in the state's district courts from $18 to $28,saying that the fee increase was a "slap in the face" for Maryland landlords alongside other tenant relief proposals.[23]

Redistricting

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During the 2021 special legislative session, Adams supported the congressional redistricting maps proposed by the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission appointed by Governor Hogan.[24] In December 2021, Adams joined delegate Kathy Szeliga and Fair Maps Maryland in filing a lawsuit against Maryland's new congressional maps, alleging they violated the state constitution.[25]

Electoral history

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Maryland House of Delegates District 37B Republican Primary Election, 2014[26]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Johnny Mautz 5,896 36
Republican Christopher T. Adams 4,030 25
Republican Rene Desmarais 3,082 19
Republican Karen Tolley 1,850 11
Republican Allen Nelson 1,604 10
Maryland House of Delegates District 37B General Election, 2014[27]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Johnny Mautz 21,057 40
Republican Christopher T. Adams 16,046 30
Democratic Keasha N. Haythe 7,957 15
Democratic Rodney Benjamin 7,852 15
Other/Write-in Other/Write-in 27 0
Maryland House of Delegates District 37B Republican Primary Election, 2018[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Johnny Mautz 6,937 51
Republican Christopher T. Adams 4,102 30
Republican Keith Graffius 2,008 15
Republican Mimi Gedamu 680 5
Maryland House of Delegates District 37B General Election, 2018[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Christopher T. Adams 25,031 44
Republican Johnny Mautz 19,498 34
Democratic Dan O'Hare 12,796 22
Other/Write-in Other/Write-in 128 0

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Christopher T. Adams, Maryland State Delegate". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Bollinger, Josh (October 31, 2013). "Wicomico man enters 37B House race". The Star Democrat. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  3. ^ Rodgers, Jack (October 26, 2018). "Del. Chris Adams seeking re-election". Dorchester Star. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  4. ^ "Delegate Christopher T. Adams". Maryland General Assembly. December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  5. ^ "Mautz, Adams victorious in 37B delegate GOP primary". Delmarvanow. June 24, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  6. ^ Bollinger, Josh (November 6, 2014). "Mid-Shore seats changing hands". The Star Democrat. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  7. ^ Gaines, Danielle E. (April 13, 2021). "House GOP Picks Buckel, Adams as New Leaders". Maryland Matters. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  8. ^ Kurtz, Josh (December 30, 2021). "After Recent Rift, House GOP Re-Elects Buckel as Leader, Taps Shoemaker as Whip". Maryland Matters. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  9. ^ Kurtz, Josh (June 12, 2018). "Here are the 10 Most Vulnerable House Incumbents in This Month's Primaries". Maryland Matters. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Official 2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. July 31, 2018.
  11. ^ a b "Official 2018 Gubernatorial General Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. December 11, 2018.
  12. ^ Gamard, Sarah; Swann, Sara (March 28, 2019). "On $15 minimum wage and school start date, Shore lawmakers back Hogan". Delmarvanow. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  13. ^ Gaines, Danielle E.; Gaskill, Hannah (April 10, 2021). "The General Assembly Overrode Hogan's Vetoes of Police Reform Bills. We Break Down the Votes". Maryland Matters. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  14. ^ Knezevich, Alison (June 8, 2021). "Hogan administration defends decision to cut federal unemployment benefits". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  15. ^ "District 37B House candidates on poultry, bay". Delmarvanow. June 10, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  16. ^ Dance, Scott (March 12, 2018). "Ocean City's effort to keep windmills far offshore fails as Maryland delegates reject proposal". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  17. ^ Kurtz, Josh (March 13, 2019). "Only in Annapolis: Could a DWI Conviction Be Good for the Environment?". Maryland Matters. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  18. ^ Kurtz, Josh (October 3, 2019). "Md. Environmental Scorecard Finds a Lot to Like". Maryland Matters. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  19. ^ DePuyt, Bruce; Kurtz, Josh; Leckrone, Bennett (March 22, 2021). "As House Pushes Through Dozens of Bills, Lawmakers Temporarily Fall Down a Deep Well". Maryland Matters. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  20. ^ Kurtz, Josh (March 26, 2019). "House Dems Fight Off GOP Amendments on Prescription Drug Bill". Maryland Matters. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  21. ^ Spector, Candice (March 2, 2021). "Shore delegates oppose free menstrual products in school bathrooms". The Star Democrat. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  22. ^ Cox, Jeremy (November 10, 2015). "Eastern Shore lawmaker files fire sprinkler bill". Delmarvanow. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  23. ^ Leckrone, Bennett (March 18, 2021). "House Passes Tenant Right to Counsel Proposal After Republican Objections". Maryland Matters. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  24. ^ Ryan, Kate (December 4, 2021). "Redistricting top agenda item for Maryland lawmakers during special session". WTOP-FM. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  25. ^ Leckrone, Bennett (December 23, 2021). "Second Lawsuit Filed Over Maryland's New Congressional Districting Map". Maryland Matters. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  26. ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. July 16, 2014.
  27. ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial General Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. December 2, 2014.
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