Sarah Elfreth
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Sarah Kelly Elfreth (, ; born September 9, 1988) is an American politician who is serving as the U.S. representative for
Maryland's 3rd congressional district Maryland's 3rd congressional district covers all of Howard County, Maryland, Howard county as well as parts of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Anne Arundel and Carroll County, Maryland, Carroll counties. The seat is currently represented by Sarah ...
since 2025. She previously served as a member of the
Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...
representing the 30th district from 2019 to 2025. Elfreth is a member of the Democratic Party. Born and raised in New Jersey, Elfreth moved to Maryland to study political science at
Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its foundin ...
and later earn a MPP from
Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...
. She became involved with Maryland politics while attending Towson, during which she was appointed by Governor
Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American politician who served as the 17th commissioner of the Social Security Administration from 2023 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was th ...
to be a student member of the
University System of Maryland The University System of Maryland (USM) is a public university system in the U.S. state of Maryland. The system is composed of the eleven campuses at College Park, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Princess Anne, Towson, Salisbury, Bowie, Frost ...
Board of Regents. After graduating, Elfreth moved to Annapolis, where she successfully ran for the
Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...
in
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, defeating Republican challenger and former state delegate
Ron George Ronald Alan George (born August 30, 1953) is an American politician who was a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 2007 to 2015. He first represented the 30th district in from 2007 to 2010, after which he was redrawn into th ...
in the general election. She was reelected in
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
. Her district encompassed the lower half of
Anne Arundel County Anne Arundel County (; ), also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, wh ...
, including the state capital of
Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
. Elfreth won the 22-way Democratic primary in the U.S. House of Representatives election in
Maryland's 3rd congressional district Maryland's 3rd congressional district covers all of Howard County, Maryland, Howard county as well as parts of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Anne Arundel and Carroll County, Maryland, Carroll counties. The seat is currently represented by Sarah ...
and then defeated the Republican nominee in the general election. She was sworn in on January 3, 2025.


Early life and career


Early life and education

Elfreth was born and raised in
Barrington, New Jersey Barrington is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,075, an increase of 92 (+1.3%) from the 2010 United ...
, where her stepfather worked as a locomotive engineer and her mother worked as a probation officer. Her grandfather served in the
Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...
and Vietnam wars, and later suffered with
post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a Psychological trauma, traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster ...
. She is of English descent and is a descendant of Jeremiah Elfreth, who was the namesake of
Elfreth's Alley Elfreth's Alley is a historic street in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia, dating back to 1703. The street has 32 houses, built between 1703 and 1836. The Elfreth's Alley Museum is located at #124 and 126.Historical marker on Elfreth's ...
in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. Elfreth graduated from Haddon Heights High School in 2006, and attended
Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its foundin ...
on scholarship, where she served as a
resident assistant A resident assistant (RA), also known by a variety of other names, is a trained peer leader who coordinates activities in residence halls in colleges and universities, mental health and substance abuse residential facilities, or similar establish ...
, submitted a thesis on how having students participate in governing boards can make them more effective, and received a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree in political science in 2010. In 2012, she earned her
Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...
degree in public policy from
Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...
, where she worked as a research assistant in the Office of Government and Community Affairs from 2010 to 2012. Since 2019, Elfreth has taught as an adjunct professor for Towson University's Honors College.


Early political career

Elfreth became active in politics while attending Towson University, when she became involved with student government and began traveling to
Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
to lobby the
Maryland General Assembly The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives, and the lower ...
. She also worked as a summer intern for state senator James Rosapepe. In 2009,
Maryland governor The governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...
Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American politician who served as the 17th commissioner of the Social Security Administration from 2023 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was th ...
appointed Elfreth to be the student member of the University System Board of Regents. She didn't become involved with electoral politics until her senior year at Towson, after hearing a speech by former Vermont Governor
Madeleine Kunin Madeleine Kunin (née May; born September 28, 1933) is a Swiss-born American diplomat, author and politician. She served as the 77th governor of Vermont from 1985 until 1991, as a member of the Democratic Party. She also served as United Stat ...
. She briefly served in the office of
House Minority Whip Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are el ...
Steny Hoyer Steny Hamilton Hoyer ( ; born June 14, 1939) is an American politician and retired attorney who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 1981. He also served as House Majority Leader from 2007 to 20 ...
before working as the Government Affairs Director at the National Aquarium of Baltimore. After moving to
Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
, Elfreth became involved with local politics, becoming a member of the Ward 1 Residents Association and serving on the District 30 Democratic Club, and volunteering for the campaigns of multiple local Democratic officials.


Maryland Senate

In June 2017, Elfreth filed to run for Maryland Senate, seeking to succeed state Senator
John Astle John Chandlee Astle (born March 31, 1943) is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. He served four terms in the Maryland State Senate and three terms in the Maryland House of Delegates representing Maryland's ...
, who did not seek re-election to run for
Mayor of Annapolis The Mayor of Annapolis is the chief political figure in the city of Annapolis, which is the capital city of Maryland. The mayor is elected to a four-year term. List of Mayors of Annapolis *1708–1720 Amos Garrett *1720–1721 Thomas Lar ...
. During the Democratic primary, she ran on a slate with House Speaker Michael E. Busch, whom she would later cite as her political mentor. Elfreth was elected to the Maryland Senate with 53.8 percent of the vote against former state delegate
Ron George Ronald Alan George (born August 30, 1953) is an American politician who was a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 2007 to 2015. He first represented the 30th district in from 2007 to 2010, after which he was redrawn into th ...
. Elfreth was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 9, 2019. As of 2024, she is the youngest woman ever to serve in the Maryland Senate. Elfreth was a member of the Budget and Taxation Committee—including as the chair of its Pensions and Public Safety, Transportation, and Environment subcommittee and as a member of its Capital Budget subcommittee—and was the chair of the Joint Committee on the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bay Critical Areas and Joint Subcommittee on Program Open Space and Agricultural Land Preservation. She was regarded as one of the most productive members of the legislature, having passed 84 bills during her tenure, more than any other legislator during that time. Elfreth served as an at-large delegate to the
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
and
2024 Democratic National Convention The 2024 Democratic National Convention was a United States presidential nominating convention, presidential nominating convention in which delegates of the Democratic Party (United States), United States Democratic Party voted on their party ...
s. As of May 2024, she had plans to campaign for
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
in
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
during the
2024 presidential election This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. *2024 United Nations Security Council election *2024 national electoral calendar *2024 local electoral ...
. In 2022, Elfreth served as the chair of the Chesapeake Executive Council. In this position, Elfreth whipped votes from members of the
Pennsylvania General Assembly The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvani ...
on legislation to commit some coronavirus relief funding to agricultural cleanup programs. Elfreth resigned from the Maryland Senate on January 2, 2025. Her successor, state delegate Shaneka Henson, was nominated by the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee on January 4, 2025, and appointed to the seat by Governor
Wes Moore Westley Watende Omari Moore (born October 15, 1978) is an American politician, businessman, author, and former U.S. Army officer serving as the 63rd governor of Maryland since 2023. Moore was born in Maryland and raised primarily in New York. ...
a few days later. Elfreth remained neutral in the process to pick her successor.


U.S. House of Representatives


Elections


2024

On November 4, 2023, Elfreth announced that she would run for the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
in
Maryland's 3rd congressional district Maryland's 3rd congressional district covers all of Howard County, Maryland, Howard county as well as parts of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Anne Arundel and Carroll County, Maryland, Carroll counties. The seat is currently represented by Sarah ...
to succeed
John Sarbanes John Peter Spyros Sarbanes ( ; born May 22, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2007 to 2025. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes Annapolis, the entirety of Howard ...
, who had announced his retirement a week before. During the Democratic primary, which developed into a three-way race between Elfreth, Clarence Lam, and
Harry Dunn Harry Dunn may refer to: *Harry Dunn (gangster) (1892–1916), St. Louis gangster and member of the Egan's Rats *Harry Dunn (boxer) (fl. 1928), British Olympic boxer *Harry Dunn (1947–2017), drummer for The Hullaballoos *Harry Dunn (footballer) ( ...
, Elfreth campaigned on environmental issues, abortion rights, and healthcare, and received support from U.S. senators
Barbara Mikulski Barbara Ann Mikulski ( ; born July 20, 1936) is an American politician and social worker who served as a United States senator from Maryland from 1987 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she also served i ...
and
Ben Cardin Benjamin Louis Cardin (born October 5, 1943) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Maryland from 2007 until 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...
, and from several Anne Arundel County-based legislators. Elfreth was the only candidate in the race who expressed openness to accepting campaign contributions from corporate
political action committee In the United States, a political action committee (PAC) is a tax-exempt 527 organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation. The l ...
s, saying that she would accept donations from corporations within the district, and received more than $4 million in support from
AIPAC The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC ) is a pro-Israel lobbying group that advocates its policies to the legislative and executive branches of the United States. It is one of several pro-Israel lobbying organizations in the ...
's United Democracy Project super PAC. Elfreth defended her campaign receiving support from AIPAC by saying she did not solicit the support and that she would support campaign finance reform if elected to Congress, referencing Sarbanes's
For the People Act The Freedom to Vote Act, originally called the For the People Act, introduced as H.R.1, is a bill in the United States Congress intended to expand voting rights, change campaign finance laws to reduce the influence of money in politics, ban ...
. AIPAC's contributions, as well as the $1 million in contributions she received from supporters, allowed her campaign to overcome the fundraising gap between her and Dunn, who had raised $4 million during his campaign. Elfreth won the Democratic primary election on May 14, 2024, and defeated Republican nominee Rob Steinberger in the general election on November 5, 2024. She is the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland. She and
April McClain Delaney April Lynn McClain Delaney (; born May 28, 1964) is an American lawyer and politician who is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Maryland's 6th congressional district since 2025. She previously served as the deputy administr ...
are the first women to represent Maryland in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2016, when
Donna Edwards Donna Fern Edwards (born June 28, 1958) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2008 to 2017. The district included most of Prince George's County, as well as part of Anne Arundel County. She is a member of the ...
retired to unsuccessfully run for the U.S. Senate.


Tenure

Elfreth was sworn in on January 3, 2025. Before the start of the
119th Congress The 119th United States Congress is the current term of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened on January 3, 2025, for th ...
, Elfreth unsuccessfully ran for freshman class representative for the Democratic Caucus, placing second in a three way race that included California freshman U.S. Representative-elect
Luz Rivas Luz Maria Rivas (born February 6, 1974) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative from since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented the 43rd district in the California State Assembly from 2 ...
and Washington freshman U.S. Representative-elect
Emily Randall Emily Elissa Randall (born October 30, 1985) is an American politician and activist who is a U.S. representative for Washington's 6th congressional district and a former member of the Washington State Senate.119th Congress The 119th United States Congress is the current term of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened on January 3, 2025, for th ...
: * Committee on Armed Services ** Subcommittee on Readiness ** Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces * Committee on Natural Resources ** Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources ** Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries


Caucus memberships

* Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues *
New Democrat Coalition The New Democrat Coalition is a caucus in the House of Representatives of the United States Congress made up of Democrats, primarily liberals and centrists, who take a pro-business stance and a liberal-to-moderate approach to fiscal matte ...


Political positions


Crime and policing

During the 2021 legislative session, Elfreth voted for the Maryland Police Accountability Act and supported an unsuccessful Republican amendment to the bill that would require law enforcement agencies to keep a record of positive community feedback. During debate on a bill to give the
attorney general of Maryland The Attorney General of the State of Maryland is the chief legal officer of the State of Maryland in the United States and is elected by the people every four years with no term limits. To run for the office a person must be a citizen of and qual ...
prosecutorial power in police-involved deaths in 2023, Elfreth voted for amendments that would allow states attorneys' to decide first whether to prosecute a case, and another to appoint a director of the investigations division. Both amendments were rejected in largely party-line votes. In June 2023, following a shooting in Annapolis that left three dead and another three injured, Elfreth attended a vigil to honor the victims of the attack and endorsed calls for accountability from state legislators.


Education

During her tenure as the student member of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, Elfreth voted against a three percent tuition increase and spoke in support of Governor Martin O'Malley's four-year tuition freeze. She also played a role in gathering opposition to a resolution recommending against a policy on pornographic films following the screening of '' Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge'' at the
University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD i ...
, convincing other board members that there was no way to create such a policy without infringing on
freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...
. During the 2019 legislative session, Elfreth introduced legislation to expand the Board of Regents' membership and implement additional oversight reforms. The bill passed both chambers unanimously and was signed into law by Governor Hogan on April 30, 2019. During her 2024 congressional campaign, Elfreth campaigned for school board candidates running against candidates endorsed by Moms for Liberty, saying that she viewed the "threat Moms for Liberty poses to our boards of education as one of the greatest threats to democracy." In October 2024, after ''
The Baltimore Banner ''The Baltimore Banner'' is a news website in Baltimore founded by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, which is a nonprofit set up by Stewart W. Bainum Jr. It launched June 14, 2022. It had a staff of 125, with about 80 working the ...
'' reported that Anne Arundel County school board candidate Chuck Yocum had a history of child sexual abuse charges stemming from his teaching job at Northeast High School, Elfreth called for Yocum to drop out of the school board race. Yocum was narrowly defeated by Erica McFarland in the general election on November 5, 2024. In March 2025, was one of 31 Democrats to vote for the DETERRENT Act, which lowers the foreign reporting thresholds for colleges and prohibit universities from working with "countries of concern" without annual approval from the U.S. Secretary of Education.


Electoral and ethics reform

While a student at Towson University, Elfreth testified in support of a bill to increase polling places at college campuses and make it easier for college students to register to vote. During the 2021 legislative session, Elfreth introduced legislation to create an "Office of Digital Inclusion" in the
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development The government of Maryland is conducted according to the Maryland Constitution. The United States is a federation; consequently, the government of Maryland, like the other 49 state governments, has exclusive authority over matters that lie enti ...
. The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Hogan on April 13, 2021. She also introduced legislation that would require the state's Commission on Environmental Justice and sustainable Communities to "reflect the racial, gender, ethnic, and geographic diversity of the state". The bill passed and became law on May 30, 2021. Also in 2021, Elfreth introduced the "Student and Military Voter Empowerment Act", which would require
higher education institution Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational school ...
s to create websites to provide students with voting information and allow military members to register to vote using their
Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...
Common Access Card The common access card, also commonly referred to as the CAC, is the standard identification for active duty United States defense personnel. The card itself is a smart card about the size of a credit card. Defense personnel that use the CAC inc ...
. The bill passed and became law without Governor
Larry Hogan Lawrence Joseph Hogan Jr. (born May 25, 1956) is an American politician who served as the 62nd governor of Maryland from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party and son of three-term U.S. representative Lawrence Hogan, he served as co-ch ...
's signature on May 30, 2021. During debate on a bill that would allow the Maryland State Board of Elections to tabulate mail-in ballots before election day in 2022, Elfreth was one of two Democratic state senators to vote for a Republican amendment that would have limited people to picking up and delivering only 10 ballots for other voters.


Environment

During the 2020 legislative session, Elfreth proposed legislation to allow jurisdictions to create Resilience Authorities to provide funding to large infrastructure projects related to
sea level rise The sea level has been rising from the end of the last ice age, which was around 20,000 years ago. Between 1901 and 2018, the average sea level rose by , with an increase of per year since the 1970s. This was faster than the sea level had e ...
, nuisance flooding, and
erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...
. She also co-sponsored legislation to expand the public's role in rehabilitation projects in the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge The Gov. William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge (informally called the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and, locally, the Bay Bridge) is a major twin bridges, dual-span bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the ...
resurfacing project. During the 2021 legislative session, Elfreth introduced various environmental bills, including bills that would require Maryland to switch to safer alternatives in
firefighting foam Firefighting foam is a foam used for fire suppression systems, fire suppression. Its role is to cool the fire and to coat the fuel, preventing its contact with oxygen, thus achieving suppression of the combustion. Firefighting foam was invented b ...
and ban
PFAS Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (also PFAS, PFASs, and informally referred to as "forever chemicals") are a group of synthetic organofluorine chemical compounds that have multiple fluorine atoms attached to an alkyl chain; there are 7 millio ...
chemicals in
food packaging Food packaging is a packaging system specifically designed for food and represents one of the most important aspects among the processes involved in the food industry, as it provides protection from chemical, biological and physical alterations ...
, and expand the state's clean energy loan program to include
water efficiency Water efficiency is the practice of reducing water consumption made by a famous scientist Lev Levich Evgenivich. This practice is used by measuring the amount of water required for a particular purpose and is proportionate to the amount of essen ...
projects,
environmental remediation Environmental remediation is the cleanup of hazardous substances dealing with the removal, treatment and containment of pollution or contaminants from Natural environment, environmental media such as soil, groundwater, sediment. Remediation may be ...
projects, and
climate resilience Climate resilience is a concept to describe how well people or ecosystems are prepared to bounce back from certain climate hazard events. The formal definition of the term is the "capacity of social, economic and ecosystems to cope with a hazardou ...
projects. During the 2022 legislative session, Elfreth introduced legislation that would require the Maryland State Retirement and Pensions System to consider climate change as a financial factor when making investment decisions. The bill passed and became law on April 9, 2022. In 2023, Elfreth introduced a bill to establish a State Disaster Recovery Fund to help jurisdictions recover from natural disasters. The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor
Wes Moore Westley Watende Omari Moore (born October 15, 1978) is an American politician, businessman, author, and former U.S. Army officer serving as the 63rd governor of Maryland since 2023. Moore was born in Maryland and raised primarily in New York. ...
. During the 2024 legislative session, Elfreth was one of three senators to vote against a bill to ease restrictions around backup generators for
data center A data center is a building, a dedicated space within a building, or a group of buildings used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems. Since IT operations are crucial for busines ...
s in Maryland.


Foreign policy


Israel

Elfreth supports a
two-state solution The two-state solution is a proposed approach to resolving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, by creating two states on the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. It is often contrasted with the one-state solution, which is the esta ...
to the
Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict about Territory, land and self-determination within the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. Key aspects of the conflict include the Israeli occupation ...
and strengthening
Israel–United States relations Since the 1960s, the relationship between Israel and the United States has grown into a close alliance in economic, strategic and military aspects. The U.S. has provided strong support for Israel and has played a key role in the promotion of g ...
. She opposes conditioning U.S. aid to
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, saying that she believed that "all nations have a responsibility in supporting humanitarian aid to the region as the only way to begin the very long road towards a peaceful two-state solution". During her 2024 congressional campaign, she supported a permanent ceasefire in the
Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
conditioned on the return of Hamas-held hostages and the provision of additional humanitarian aid, but criticized "unbalanced and nuanced" state and local resolutions calling for a ceasefire. She also expressed concerns with some of Israel Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...
's public statements during the war, but said that conversations on Israel's leadership and governance should be handled in private between it and the United States. Elfreth traveled to Israel for the first time in July 2023, visiting locations including an
Iron Dome Iron Dome () is an Israeli mobile all-weather air defense system, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. The system is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired f ...
battery, the
West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
, religious sites, and a
Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...
tunnel on the Lebanese border. She met with a
Palestinian National Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a c ...
official during her visit, after which she expressed concerns with "some verbiage" used by the official and an evasive answer about the authority's failure to hold elections in the region. Elfreth supported an amendment introduced by U.S. senator
Chris Van Hollen Christopher Van Hollen Jr. ( ; born January 10, 1959) is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Maryland, a seat he has held since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. re ...
that would condition U.S. foreign aid on a country's compliance with international law, though a spokesperson clarified her belief "that Israel is acting in accordance with these laws" and later reiterated that she would only support requiring countries to comply with existing conditions as opposed to establishing new conditions. In January 2025, Elfreth voted against a bill to place sanctions on the
International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...
(ICC) for issuing arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister
Yoav Gallant Yoav Gallant (; born 8 November 1958) is an Israeli politician and former military officer who served as Ministry of Defense (Israel), minister of defense between 2022 and 2024. Gallant was an officer in the Southern Command (Israel), Southern ...
. Following the vote, she signed onto a letter to the president of the ICC calling on the court to rescind its arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.


Ukraine

In February 2025, Elfreth condemned comments made by President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
blaming Ukraine for Russia's invasion and calling Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...
a dictator, but said that she agreed with the president's calls for members of
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
to invest more into the security of Europe.


Gun policy

In June 2023, Elfreth spoke in support of the Gun Safety Act, which increased the requirements and fees to obtain handgun permits and limited where gun owners could carry their weapons. During the 2024 legislative session, Elfreth introduced a bill to levy an eleven percent excise tax on firearm sales to fund the state's trauma system.


Healthcare

In June 2024, Elfreth signed onto a Maryland Healthcare for All pledge to support legislation to extend
Inflation Reduction Act The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) is a United States federal law which aims to reduce the federal government budget deficit, lower prescription drug prices, and invest in domestic energy production while promoting clean energy. It was ...
-provided healthcare benefits beyond 2025.


National politics

Elfreth condemned the
January 6 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump, President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months afte ...
, saying that those who participated in the attack should be referred to as terrorists. Elfreth opposed the Trump administration's efforts to fire and reclassify thousands of federal workers at various agencies, saying that there was "no check and balance" on the
Department of Government Efficiency The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is an initiative by the second Trump administration within the federal government of the United States. Its stated objective is to modernize information technology, maximize productivity, and cut ...
and criticized its director,
Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...
, for having "billions of dollars in self interest with contracts with this federal government and foreign governments". In March 2025, she introduced the Protect Our Probationary Employees Act, which would allow probationary workers fired by the Trump administration to reclaim the seniority they amassed in their previous position if later rehired by the federal government.


Paid family leave

During the 2020 legislative session, Elfreth introduced legislation to provide Maryland workers with up to 12 weeks of
paid family leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and "paternity leave ...
, funded by a
payroll tax Payroll taxes are taxes imposed on employers or employees. They are usually calculated as a percentage of the salaries that employers pay their employees. By law, some payroll taxes are the responsibility of the employee and others fall on the ...
shared equally by the worker and employer.


Social issues

Elfreth supports
abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their p ...
, describing access to abortion services as a matter of economics. During the 2024 legislative session, she introduced a bill to provide abortion clinics in Maryland with $500,000 in grants toward physical security infrastructure. During the 2019 legislative session, Elfreth introduced a resolution to designate June 28 as "Freedom of the Press Day" in honor of the five killed at the
Capital Gazette shooting On June 28, 2018, a mass shooting occurred at the offices of ''The Capital'', a newspaper serving Annapolis, Maryland, United States. The gunman, Jarrod Ramos, killed five employees with a shotgun and injured two others who were trying to esca ...
. The bill passed unanimously and became law on April 18, 2019. In June 2019, Governor Hogan signed a proclamation declaring June 28 to be "Freedom of the Press Day" in Maryland. During the 2021 legislative session, Elfreth introduced legislation to provide students access to
menstrual products Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) or menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) is the access to menstrual hygiene products to absorb or collect the flow of blood during menstruation, privacy to change the materials, and access to facilities to dispose ...
in school bathrooms. The bill passed and became law on May 30, 2021. During the 2022 legislative session, Elfreth introduced the "Great Maryland Outdoors Act", which would increase staffing, expand recreational amenities, and improve equity of access for
Maryland state parks This list of Maryland state parks includes the state parks and state battlefields listed in the Maryland Department of Natural Resources's current acreage report. Generally, the Maryland Park Service, a unit of and under the authority of the Maryl ...
. The bill passed and became law on April 24, 2022. She also introduced the "David Perez Military Heroes Act", which provides state funding for psychedelic research to help military veterans with
post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a Psychological trauma, traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster ...
, which passed and became law. In October 2022, after ''
The Baltimore Banner ''The Baltimore Banner'' is a news website in Baltimore founded by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, which is a nonprofit set up by Stewart W. Bainum Jr. It launched June 14, 2022. It had a staff of 125, with about 80 working the ...
'' published a report accusing
Gunpowder Falls State Park Gunpowder Falls State Park is a public recreation area comprising six non-contiguous areas covering in northeastern Baltimore County and western Harford County, Maryland. The state park is primarily made up of the stream valleys of the Big an ...
manager Michael Browning of presiding over a toxic work environment that senior park service officials had failed to address despite receiving multiple employee complaints since 2015, Elfreth and House majority leader
Eric Luedtke Eric Luedtke (born November 13, 1981) is an American politician and educator from Maryland. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as chief legislative officer for Governor Wes Moore from 2023 to 2024. He pr ...
wrote to Maryland Secretary of Natural Resources Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio calling for an independent review into the
Maryland Department of Natural Resources The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is a government agency in the state of Maryland charged with maintaining natural resources including state parks, public lands, state forests, state waterways, wildlife, and recreation areas. I ...
' handling of employee reports. Haddaway-Riccio did not address legislators' call for an independent investigation in her response letter, instead saying that the department's human resources division was investigating the misconduct allegations "in consultation with the Maryland Department of Budget and Management and the Office of the Attorney General" and that she had taken "appropriate actions to address the situation" by firing assistant Gunpowder park manager Dean Hughes and state park superintendent Nita Settina.


Transportation

In March 2023, Elfreth was one of five Democrats to vote for an amendment to decouple the state's
gas tax A fuel tax (also known as a petrol, gasoline or gas tax, or as a fuel duty) is an excise tax imposed on the sale of fuel. In most countries, the fuel tax is imposed on fuels which are intended for transportation. Fuel tax receipts are often dedica ...
from inflation. The amendment was rejected by the Maryland Senate in a 20-27 vote. During her 2024 congressional campaign, Elfreth said she supported rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge.


Electoral history


References


External links

* * * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Elfreth, Sarah K. 1988 births 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Maryland General Assembly 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives American people of English descent Democratic Party Maryland state senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Female members of the United States House of Representatives Haddon Heights Junior/Senior High School alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni Living people People from Barrington, New Jersey Politicians from Camden County, New Jersey Towson University alumni Towson University faculty United States congressional aides University System of Maryland people Women state legislators in Maryland Johns Hopkins University people