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Lesley Lopez

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Lesley Lopez
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 39th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2019
Preceded byCharles E. Barkley
Personal details
Born
Lesley Jeanne Lopez

(1983-11-28) November 28, 1983 (age 40)
Paget Parish, Bermuda
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Richard Kelly
​
(m. 2018)​
Children2
Residence(s)Germantown, Maryland, U.S.
EducationUniversity of California, San Diego (BA)
George Washington University (MPA)
Signature
WebsiteCampaign website

Lesley Jeanne Lopez (born November 28, 1983) is an American politician who is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from District 39. A member of the Democratic Party, she unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Maryland's 6th congressional district in 2024, losing to April McClain-Delaney in the Democratic primary election.

Early life and education

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The oldest of three siblings,[1] Lopez was born in Paget Parish, Bermuda,[2] while her mother Patricia was serving on active duty in the U.S. Navy. She grew up in Southern California in a blended family. As a child she was adopted by her stepfather, Emsley Lopez, also a naval officer. Her paternal grandparents migrated to the United States from the Philippines.[1][3]

Lopez attended schools in San Bernardino, California. While in elementary school, she survived a school shooting in which a man from a neighboring apartment complex began shooting at her classmates.[4] She later attended the University of California, San Diego, where she earned a B.A. in political science, and George Washington University, where she earned an M.P.A. in management.[5]

Career

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Early career

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After graduating, Lopez worked as a journalist for ABC News's This Week with George Stephanopoulos, BBC, CNN, America's Most Wanted, and the Eurovision Song Contest.[6] She also worked as an adjunct professor of communications at George Washington University, where she became a member of Service Employees International Union Local 500.[3]

Lopez first became involved with politics while working with immigrant families. She served as the press secretary for U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar from 2008 to 2011, afterwards serving as the communications director for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus until 2013.[7] In this capacity, she helped pass the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act through the U.S. Senate and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, which was expanded to include protections for undocumented immigrants.[3]

Lopez later worked as the communications director for various other organizations, including the National Immigration Forum, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, and the US-China Business Council, from 2014 to 2017.[5] Since 2017, she has worked as the chief communications director for Run for Something.[8]

Maryland House of Delegates

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In 2017, after state delegate Charles E. Barkley announced that he would run for the Montgomery County Council at-large district in 2018, Lopez filed to run for state delegate in District 39. She ran on a slate with state senator Nancy J. King and state delegates Kirill Reznik and Shane Robinson.[3] Lopez won the Democratic primary election on June 27, 2018, placing first with 21.3 percent of the vote.[9]

Lopez was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 9, 2019. She was a member of the Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2022, afterwards serving on the Health and Government Operations Committee.[5] Lopez ran for re-election in 2022, during which she formed a slate with union activist Clint Sobratti, who sought to unseat incumbent delegate Gabriel Acevero.[10] All three incumbents, including Acevero, won the Democratic primary on July 19, 2022.[11]

During the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Lopez endorsed U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren.[12]

Members of the Women's Legislative Caucus of Maryland stand on the steps outside of the Governor's House
Lopez was president of the Women's Legislative Caucus of Maryland (pictured) from 2022 to 2023

In March 2022, Lopez was voted in as the president of the Women's Caucus of Maryland by a 50–12 vote, one year ahead of when she was due to become its president under the caucus's traditional order. In response, the 11 Republican members of the caucus resigned from the caucus in protest, later demanding it be renamed to the "Democrat Women's Caucus of Maryland". Lopez defended her election, saying in an interview with Maryland Matters that she "had some plans of what I wanted to do [as caucus president] when I moved up so I accelerated the timeline" and had approached state senator Adelaide Eckardt, a Republican, about joining her leadership team, but she declined.[13] She had also sent handwritten notes to each of the members who had left the caucus. Republicans have since declined to rejoin the caucus, and have discussed forming their own.[14]

2024 congressional campaign

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Main article: 2024 Maryland's 6th congressional district election

On June 1, 2023, she announced her candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in Maryland's 6th congressional district to succeed outgoing U.S. Representative David Trone.[15] During the Democratic primary, she received endorsements from several members of the legislature[16] and ran on a platform of gun safety, addressing the opioid crisis, and protecting reproductive rights.[17] Lopez was unable to put together a robust campaign[18] and was defeated by former National Telecommunications and Information Administration deputy administrator April McClain-Delaney in the Democratic primary election on May 14, 2024, placing fifth with 4.6 percent of the vote.[19]

Political positions

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Education

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In September 2019, Lopez joined Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and 43 other members of the Maryland General Assembly in co-signing a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos asking for information about her implementation of the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.[20][21]

During the 2021 legislative session, Lopez endorsed a bill to expand collective bargaining rights to employees at Maryland's 16 community colleges.[22]

In April 2024, Lopez expressed concerns with efforts to ban books in public schools and libraries and called for federal protections against book bans. She also supported increasing funding for local school districts and teachers, and hiring more support personnel in schools.[23]

Gun policy

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In August 2019, Lopez said she opposed the Maryland State Police's decision to repeal limits for concealed carry permits for business owners, pointing out that the decision followed mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.[24]

In 2020, Lopez introduced a bill requiring firearms to be stored in an area where a minor could not gain access to it.[25]

During the 2021 legislative session, Lopez introduced legislation to ban privately made firearms.[26] The bill failed to pass out of committee.[27] She reintroduced the bill in 2022,[28] during which it passed[29] and became law without Governor Hogan's signature.[30] Following the bill's passage, Lopez was invited to the White House by President Joe Biden, where he announced a new United States Department of Justice rule regulating privately made firearms.[31]

Israel

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Lopez supports a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[32] In October 2023, amid the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Lopez said she supported Israel's right to defend itself and called for humanitarian aid to Palestine.[33]

Policing reform

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In June 2020, Lopez pledged to stop taking campaign contributions from the Fraternal Order of Police.[34]

During the 2023 legislative session, Lopez introduced a bill to allow municipalities to establish police accountability boards.[35]

Social issues

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In 2019, Lopez introduced a bill to expand the state's child pornography laws to include lascivious behavior and computer-generated images. The bill unanimously passed the Maryland General Assembly.[36]

In May 2022, following the leak of a draft majority opinion for the U.S. Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Lopez sent a letter on the behalf of the Women's Legislative Caucus of Maryland to Governor Larry Hogan, asking that he release the $3.5 million in funds to train abortion care providers as part of the Abortion Care Access Act.[37] Hogan denied her request, effectively delaying the law's implementation until July 2023.[38] During her 2024 congressional campaign, Lopez said that she would support codifying the Roe v. Wade decision on the federal level.[17]

During the 2023 legislative session, Lopez introduced a bill prohibiting the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services correctional staff from discriminating against gender nonconforming individuals and would allow these individuals to be housed in a facility that aligns with their gender identity.[39]

Personal life

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Lopez is married to her husband Richard Kelly, an app developer at Capital One. The couple married on September 23, 2018, in a ceremony at the Woodend Sanctuary.[40][41] Together, they have two children.[42]

Electoral history

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Maryland House of Delegates District 39 Democratic primary election, 2018[43]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lesley J. Lopez 5,422 21.3
Democratic Gabriel Acevero 5,116 20.1
Democratic Kirill Reznik (incumbent) 5,088 20.0
Democratic Shane Robinson (incumbent) 4,934 19.4
Democratic Bobby Bartlett 2,487 9.8
Democratic Andy Hoverman 1,281 5.0
Democratic Clint Sobratti 1,139 4.5
Maryland House of Delegates District 39 election, 2018[44]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gabriel Acevero 28,554 31.0
Democratic Lesley J. Lopez 27,722 30.1
Democratic Kirill Reznik (incumbent) 25,236 27.4
Republican Verelyn Gibbs Watson 10,316 11.2
Write-in 324 0.4
Maryland House of Delegates District 39 election, 2022[45]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lesley J. Lopez (incumbent) 27,722 33.3
Democratic Gabriel Acevero (incumbent) 23,104 33.0
Democratic Kirill Reznik (incumbent) 22,292 31.9
Write-in 1,259 1.8
Maryland's 6th congressional district Democratic primary results, 2024[46]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic April McClain-Delaney 22,985 40.4
Democratic Joe Vogel 14,940 26.3
Democratic Ashwani Jain 4,750 8.3
Democratic Tekesha Martinez 3,992 7.0
Democratic Lesley Lopez 2,600 4.6
Democratic Laurie-Anne Sayles 1,845 3.2
Democratic Destiny Drake West 1,086 1.9
Democratic Mohammad Mozumder 1,005 1.7
Democratic Joel Martin Rubin (withdrawn) 820 1.4
Democratic Peter Choharis (withdrawn) 818 1.4
Democratic Geoffrey Grammer (withdrawn) 651 1.1
Democratic George Gluck 437 0.8
Democratic Kiambo White 401 0.7
Democratic Stephen McDow (withdrawn) 246 0.4
Democratic Altimont Wilks 179 0.3
Democratic Adrian Petrus 166 0.3

References

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  1. ^ a b "Meet Lesley..." lopezformaryland.com. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  2. ^ "Latino Democratic Club 2024 Candidate Questionnaire" (PDF). Latino Democratic Club of Montgomery County. April 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Peck, Louis (June 21, 2017). "District 39 Incumbent Legislators Tap Lesley Lopez To Join Their Slate in Primary". MoCo360. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  4. ^ Schere, Dan (May 9, 2019). "Personal Stories of Gun Violence Shared at Rockville Town Hall". MoCo360. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Lesley J. Lopez, Maryland State Delegate". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  6. ^ "Lesley Lopez, Adjunct Professor". gspm.gwu.edu. George Washington University. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  7. ^ Garcia-Navarro, Lulu (March 19, 2017). "Maryland Democrats Aim To 'Build The Pipeline' For Women In Office". KERA-TV. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  8. ^ Kurtz, Josh (October 29, 2018). "Grassroots Group's Lone Md. Endorsement Goes to Candidate Who Works There". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  9. ^ Peck, Louis (June 27, 2018). "Updated: Waldstreicher Bests Beyer To Win Madaleno's Senate Seat in Heated District 18 Race". MoCo360. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  10. ^ Peck, Louis (July 18, 2022). "Political Notes: Among 2022 candidates, votes are in – figuratively speaking – on the most coveted endorsements". MoCo360. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  11. ^ Peck, Louis (July 20, 2022). "Waldstreicher appears to have beaten back high-profile primary challenge from his left". MoCo360. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  12. ^ Masters, Kate (November 8, 2019). "Political Notes: Friedson Honored for Work with Local Nonprofits". MoCo360. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  13. ^ Kurtz, Josh (March 16, 2022). "Partisan Divide Rips Through Legislative Women's Caucus". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  14. ^ Kurtz, Josh (April 7, 2023). "Legislative women's caucus still divided — only Democrats installed on executive board". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  15. ^ Ford, William J.; Kurtz, Josh (June 1, 2023). "Political notes: Lopez enters congressional fray, Hoyer backs Alsobrooks, District 17 developments, a senior lobbyist departs, and more". Maryland Matters. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  16. ^ Peck, Ginny Bixby, Louis (July 25, 2023). "Political Notes: New faces join race for 6th Congressional District". MoCo360. Retrieved December 18, 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ a b Bixby, Ginny (December 18, 2023). "Speed dating in District 6: Voters get personal with Democratic congressional candidates". MoCo360. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  18. ^ Kurtz, Josh (April 25, 2024). "Political notes: Reunion on the airwaves, Johnny 'O,' Parrott snags CPAC nod, Martinez's theory of the case". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  19. ^ Gans, Jared (May 14, 2024). "April McClain Delaney wins Democratic primary for David Trone's seat in Maryland". The Hill. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  20. ^ Davis, Elliott (September 12, 2019). "Md. lawmakers, AG question DeVos on loan forgiveness program". Capital News Service. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  21. ^ Gaines, Danielle E. (September 10, 2019). "Md. Officials Press DeVos to Fix Flawed Loan Forgiveness Program". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  22. ^ Shwe, Elizabeth (February 3, 2021). "Unions, Education Advocates Renew Push for Collective Bargaining Rights at Community Colleges". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  23. ^ Jacoby, Ceoli (April 12, 2024). "Three candidates participate in first League of Women Voters congressional forum". Frederick News-Post. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  24. ^ Wood, Pamela (August 6, 2019). "Maryland State Police ease concealed carry gun restrictions for business owners". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  25. ^ Paryavi, Fatemeh (February 28, 2020). "Maryland bill strives to limit minors' access to firearms". Capital News Service. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  26. ^ Adhikusuma, Briana (January 15, 2021). "County might try to ban undetectable 'ghost' guns". MoCo360. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  27. ^ Adhikusuma, Briana (April 8, 2021). "Montgomery County bans undetectable 'ghost' guns". MoCo360. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  28. ^ Gaskill, Hannah (January 25, 2022). "Advocates Call for Ghost Gun Ban as Senators Debate Right Approach to Rising Crime Rates". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  29. ^ Gaskill, Hannah (March 11, 2022). "Ghost Gun Bans Advance in the General Assembly, While House of Delegates Passes Abortion Referendum Bill". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  30. ^ Gaskill, Hannah (April 8, 2022). "Hogan Allows Ghost Gun Ban to Become Law Without His Signature, Urges Movement on Other Bills". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  31. ^ Figueroa, Ariana (April 11, 2022). "DOJ Rule Cracks Down on Untraceable Firearms Known as 'Ghost Guns'". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  32. ^ Kassel, Matthew (June 21, 2023). "Entering House race in Maryland, Lesley Lopez seeks to 'build on' Trone's work". Jewish Insider. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  33. ^ Bixby, Ginny (October 31, 2023). "How do Maryland's Sixth Congressional District candidates think the Israel-Hamas crisis should be handled?". MoCo360. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  34. ^ Gaskill, Hannah (June 16, 2020). "Annapolis, Capitol Hill Lawmakers Call for Immediate Police Reform: 'We Have Not Done Enough'". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  35. ^ Ford, William J. (February 27, 2023). "Proposed legislation would allow Maryland municipalities to create police accountability boards". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  36. ^ Gaines, Danielle E. (April 14, 2019). "Lawmakers Pass Bill That Would Expand Prosecution of Child Erotica". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  37. ^ Gaines, Danielle E.; Kurtz, Josh (May 7, 2022). "News Roundup: Democrats Press Again for Abortion Care Funding, Hogan Appoints New Utility Commissioner". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  38. ^ Condon, Christine (May 5, 2022). "Despite pleas, Maryland Gov. Hogan won't release funds early to train more abortion providers statewide". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  39. ^ Larkin, Michelle (February 23, 2023). "Lawmakers consider powerful testimony on transgender rights for inmates". Capital News Service. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  40. ^ Lippman, Daniel; Okun, Eli; Palmer, Anna; Ross, Garrett; Sherman, Jake (October 17, 2018). "POLITICO Playbook PM: Biden rallies the Democratic troops". Politico. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  41. ^ Schere, Dan (January 4, 2019). "Freshman Delegates Study, Craft Agendas for 2019 Legislature". MoCo360. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  42. ^ Kurtz, Josh; Sears, Bryan P. (May 10, 2023). "Risks and opportunities for both parties as race to replace Trone ramps up". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  43. ^ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  44. ^ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial General Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  45. ^ "Official 2022 Gubernatorial General Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  46. ^ "Official 2024 Presidential Primary Election Results for Representative in Congress". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
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