Delegate ben barnes

Ben was born on March 30, 1975 and spent the majority of his formative years in Prince George’s County. He was raised by his mom with the support of his grandmother, aunts, and uncles.

He is a graduate of Eleanor Roosevelt High School. After high school, he double majored in Economics and Political Science and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science from the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

After graduation, Ben secured a position with People for the American Way, a progressive advocacy organization, where he worked on many progressive issues such as civil rights and first amendment protections. During that time, he was elected as the National Committeeman for the Young Democrats of Maryland and later nominated and secured a position as the Vice Chair of the Prince George's County Democratic Central Committee where he served for three years.

After leaving People for the American Way, Ben worked as a legislative aide for the President of the Maryland Senate and was subsequently promoted to Deputy Legislative Director. In that capacity, he was an advocate for important initiatives including common sense gun control legislation, increasing the minimum wage in Maryland, and legislation that benefited the working-class and our environment. During his tenure with the Senate President he worked his way through the University of Baltimore School of Law at night; and in 2004, Ben was admitted to the Maryland Bar. After law school, Ben clerked for Judge James J. Lombardi in the Prince George’s County Circuit Court, 7th Judicial Circuit. Currently, he is an attorney at the Law Office of Hall Butler MacCleay and Maloney in Bowie.

In 2006, Ben was elected to the House of Delegates as a representative for the 21st District serving Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties. He serves as a Chief Majority Whip in the House of Delegates and is a member of the Economic Matters Committee, a member of the public utilities subcommittee, and a member of the worker's compensation subcommittee. After serving 2 terms, he continues to keep his commitment to work towards his goals of progressive activism by sponsoring important environmental, social justice, civil rights, and economic equity legislation.

If re-elected, Ben will be the new Chair of the House Appropriations Committee.