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Kris Fair

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Kris Fair
A headshot of Kris Fair.
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 11, 2023
Serving with Ken Kerr and Karen Simpson
Preceded byKaren Lewis Young
Personal details
Born
Kristopher G. Fair

(1984-08-19) August 19, 1984 (age 40)
Mount Airy, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseDominick Frances Barretta
Residence(s)Frederick, Maryland, U.S.
Alma materFrederick Community College (AA)
Hood College (BA)
WebsiteCampaign website

Kristopher Goddard Fair[1] (born August 19, 1984) is an American politician who is a member for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 3 in Frederick County, Maryland.[2][3]

Background

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Fair grew up in Mount Airy, Maryland,[4] and graduated from Linganore High School in 2002. He later attended Frederick Community College, where he received an Bachelor's degree in general studies in 2008, and Hood College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and history in 2013.[2] Fair was the manager of New York, New York Salon in Frederick for 17 years until he left in 2021.[4] Fair was also the chair of the Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership from 2017 to 2021.[5]

Fair first got involved with politics in 2012, serving as a Frederick County campaign coordinator for Question 6. He later served as the vice-chair of the Frederick County Democratic Central Committee, and as the Frederick County Democratic Party campaign manager in 2014.[2] In January 2017, Fair announced that he would run for the Frederick City Board of Aldermen. His candidacy was backed by county executive Jan Gardner, state senator Ron Young, and various county council members and city aldermen. His platform included improving the city's infrastructure, providing equitable services, and supporting a responsive government.[4] He came in sixth place in the nonpartisan primary, receiving 10.2 percent of the vote.[6]

Fair (center bottom) at a Maryland LGBT PAC campaign event, 2018

In May 2018, Fair launched the Maryland LGBT PAC, a political action committee that seeks to support openly-LGBT candidates.[7][8] He currently serves as the executive director of The Frederick Center, a local advocacy group for LGBTQ individuals.[4][9]

During the 2021 legislative session, Fair worked as a legislative director for state delegate Karen Lewis Young. He stepped down from the position in January 2022 to run for the Maryland House of Delegates, seeking to succeed Young.[10] During the primary, he was endorsed by Young and her husband, Ron Young, the Maryland State Teachers Association, and half a dozen local elected officials.[11] Kris won the Democratic primary, coming in second place behind incumbent state Delegate Ken Kerr with 19.7 percent of the vote.[12]

In the legislature

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Fair was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 11, 2023.[13] He is the first openly gay lawmaker from western Maryland,[14] and is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.[15] Kris was appointed the chair of Maryland’s LGBTQ+ Caucus during the 2023 session.[16]

Political positions

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Climate change

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During his House of Delegates campaign, Fair called climate change the "[number one] threat to our humanity". He ran on a platform that included advancing the Climate Solutions Now Act, an omnibus bill passed by the Maryland General Assembly during the 2022 legislative session that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent by 2030, while also advocating for the state to provide agricultural workers with resources to implement regenerative farming techniques and increase biodiversity in their fields.[17]

Education

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Fair supports the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, a sweeping education reform bill passed in 2021, and says he would work to ensure that the funding provided through the Blueprint is spent as legislators intended.[17]

Social issues

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Fair supported a bill introduced by Delegate Karen Lewis Young during the 2020 legislative session that would prohibit hospitals and related institutions from discriminating against admitting or providing care to people on the basis of "sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or creed, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, [or] genetic information".[18]

In January 2024, Fair spoke against proposed bills to ban transgender students from competing on girls' sports teams in schools and another that would ban sexually explicit materials from school libraries.[19]

Transportation

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Fair does not support proposals to widen Interstate 270 and the Capital Beltway, instead supporting efforts to make the state's mass transportation options, such as MARC Trains, more accessible in the state. He also supports expanding the Red Line to Urbana.[17]

Personal life

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Fair is openly gay[4] and married to his husband Dominick Fair (née Barretta) as of August 2013.[1]

Electoral history

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Frederick City Board of Aldermen Democratic Primary Election, 2017[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Donna Kuzemchak 1,795 14.8
Democratic Kelly Russell 1,794 14.7
Democratic Roger Wilson 1,652 13.6
Democratic Ben MacShane 1,412 11.6
Democratic Derek Shackelford 1,378 11.3
Democratic Kris Fair 1,235 10.2
Democratic Todd Anderson 1,019 8.4
Democratic Kim L Williams 737 6.1
Democratic Antonio Bowens 627 5.2
Democratic Jeannette Bartelt 521 4.3
Maryland House of Delegates District 3 Democratic Primary Election, 2022[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kenneth P. Kerr 5,628 19.8
Democratic Kris Fair 5,598 19.7
Democratic Karen Simpson 4,450 15.6
Democratic Josh Bokee 3,618 12.7
Democratic Tarolyn C. Thrasher 3,489 12.3
Democratic William "Billy" Reid 3,295 11.6
Democratic Stephen Slater 2,364 8.3
Maryland House of Delegates District 3 election, 2022[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kenneth P. Kerr 26,270 24.91
Democratic Karen Simpson 25,945 24.60
Democratic Kris Fair 25,602 24.27
Republican Kathy Diener 13,699 12.99
Republican Justin Wages 13,535 12.83
Write-in 429 0.41

References

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  1. ^ a b "Marriage licenses for July 2013". Carroll County Times. August 25, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Members – Delegate Kris Fair". mgaleg.maryland.gov. Maryland General Assembly. January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  3. ^ Panuska, Mallory (August 7, 2017). "Meet the candidate: Kris Fair for alderman". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e Etzler, Allen (January 8, 2017). "Kris Fair announces candidacy for Frederick city alderman". The Frederick News-Post. Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  5. ^ "SHIP announces 2021 board of directors". The Frederick News-Post. January 30, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Primary Election Official Results". cityoffrederickmd.gov. Frederick, Maryland. September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  7. ^ Kurtz, Josh (May 30, 2018). "Political Notes: Baker's Standing at Home, New PAC, New Annapolis PR Firm". Maryland Matters. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Lavers, Michael (May 29, 2018). "New PAC seeks to elect openly LGBT candidates in Md". The Washington Blade. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  9. ^ Atelsek, Jillian (July 21, 2021). "Frederick LGBTQ advocacy group hires first executive director". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  10. ^ Hogan, Jack (January 27, 2022). "House of Delegates hopeful steps down as legislative director for Del. Lewis Young". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  11. ^ Kurtz, Josh (June 1, 2022). "Top 20 House Primaries to Watch". Maryland Matters. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Official 2022 Gubernatorial Primary Election Results for House of Delegates". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. August 24, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  13. ^ "Kris Fair, Maryland State Delegate". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. June 26, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  14. ^ Scala, Margaret A. (November 16, 2022). "Two new gay Md. delegates outline agenda". The Washington Blade. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  15. ^ Gaines, Danielle E. (January 5, 2023). "Jones announces new Democratic caucus, committee leaders for 2023 General Assembly session". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  16. ^ Hernández, Amanda (June 24, 2023). "More blue states declare themselves sanctuaries for transgender health care". Maryland Matters. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  17. ^ a b c Roberts, Angela (September 3, 2022). "Fair wants to address climate crisis, make mental health care more affordable". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  18. ^ Bohnel, Steve (February 9, 2020). "Del. Lewis Young introduces bill adding anti-discrimination language". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  19. ^ "Md. House committee kills bill to ban transgender kids from sports teams". The Washington Blade. February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  20. ^ "Official 2022 Gubernatorial General Election Results for House of Delegates". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. December 7, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
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