Jones Steps Down, Ending Historic Era As House Speaker

By Bryan P. Sears and Josh Kurtz, Maryland Matters

December 5, 2025

Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County), the first woman and the first Black legislator to hold the post, is stepping down after more than six years in the job.

The announcement came at a hastily called meeting Thursday in Annapolis of leaders of the House’s standing committees. Jones did not attend the meeting, but said in a statement that she would step down as speaker effective immediately.

“Seasons are full of change,” Jones said in her lengthy statement. “Reflecting on my life seasons, my community, commitments and my life work, I find myself focusing on tomorrow and what lies ahead.

“When elected Speaker, I never intended this to be forever. I wanted to help build the next generation of House leaders and prepare them for the challenges in front of us as a State. Now is that time – and I look forward to seeing this mighty House of Delegates continue to grow,” she said.

She did not elaborate further on the timing or reasons behind her decisions.

House Speaker Pro Tem Del. Dana Stein (D-Baltimore County) will immediately assume the duties of speaker. The House Democratic Caucus is set to meet on Dec. 16 to choose the next speaker.

Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), who was elected presiding officer the same year as Jones, praised the speaker for her “thoughtful leadership, wise counsel, and heartfelt nature.”

“From navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, passing landmark legislation around police reform and social equity, making some of the most challenging budgetary decisions in a generation, and responding to the collapse of the Key Bridge, Speaker Jones and I worked together with the members of our respective chambers to protect Marylanders and expand opportunities for all,” Ferguson said in a social media post. “And, importantly, through all of this, we became friends.”

Gov. Wes Moore (D) called Jones as “a friend and mentor,” a relationship he said began before she ever became the House leader.

“Her leadership and mentorship has been instrumental to myself and so many others who serve the people of Maryland. She leads by example, putting service above self across five decades, and will not change as she steps down from leadership while still serving District 10,” Moore’s statement said.

Jones departure comes as the prospect of a special session on midcycle congressional redistricting looms. Should that happen, lawmakers would be faced with the additional task veto override votes, along with selecting a new speaker.

For the better part of the month, Jones, 71, has been quietly absent. She did not attend a fundraiser for the House Democratic Caucus last month and sharply curtailed her schedule during that same time. Neither Jones nor her staff responded to multiple requests for comment beyond her statement.

Her decision caps a difficult year for the speaker that included the sudden death of her son Brandon in February. She surprised many when she filed for re-election in June.

Jones, a lawmaker with a nearly 30-year career, ascended to the rostrum as a compromise candidate following the death of Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) in 2019.

Jones had served 17 years as speaker pro tem under Busch and also served during that time as chair of the House Appropriations capital budget subcommittee.

Despite the pair of powerful posts, Jones was known as a quiet leader — a quality she brought to her time as speaker. In that role, Jones was known for a decentralized approach to guiding the chamber, allowing her committee chairs wider authority.

“She broke glass ceilings and served as a role model for many of us in the Chamber and in the State,” Del. Nicole Williams, chair of Prince George’s County House delegation, said on social media. “Thank you Madam Speaker for your years as our Speaker and your leadership.”

In some ways, Jones’ career was marked by being in the right place at the right time.

Jones worked in Baltimore County overseeing the county’s office of fair practices. She was not politically active at the time, but found herself vying to succeed Del. Joan Neverdon Parker, who died in 1997. Jones was backed by her boss, County Executive Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Baltimore County) and his political machine.

She took Parker’s seat on the House Appropriations Committee, where the committee chair, Del. Howard “Pete” Rawlings (D-Baltimore City), became something of a mentor to her. Jones also became friends with Del. Maggie McIntosh (D-Baltimore City), who later went on to chair Appropriations.

Jones continued her quiet climb up the leadership ladder when Busch became speaker. His death at the end of the 2019 session touched off a scramble to replace him.

Jones initially entered the fray but quickly put her support behind Del. Dereck Davis (D-Prince George’s), then chair of the House Economic Matters Committee. When neither Davis nor McIntosh could secure enough Democratic votes to win the speakership, the Democratic Caucus sought a compromise candidate. They found one in Jones, who was later elected unanimously by the full House in a special session that lasted less than 15 minutes.

Jones inherited Busch’s still-grieving staff and all his committee chairs. when she became speaker. The staff quickly shifted their loyalties to Jones, who benefited greatly from their seniority and savvy.

With time, Jones began to reshape the House leadership team, often lifting up women and people of color.

She moved Del. Vanessa Atterbeary (D-Howard) from vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee to the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee in 2021.

When Dereck Davis was elected state treasurer in 2021, leaving the chairmanship of the House Economic Matters Committee behind, Jones made Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles) the chair. She named Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel) chair of the House Health and Government Operations Committee immediately after the 2022 session, when former Del. Shane Pendergrass (D-Howard) retired.

When McIntosh retired, Jones tapped Del. Ben Barnes (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel) as chair of Appropriations in 2022, and when Environment and Transportation Committee Chair Kumar Barve (D-Montgomery) was named to the Public Service Commission, Jones put Del. Marc Korman (D-Montgomery) in the role in 2023.

House Judiciary Chair Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City) is the only holdover from Busch’s tenure.

Three committee vice chairs are Black women: Del. Regina Boyce (D-Baltimore City) on E&T, Del. J. Sandy Bartlett (D-Anne Arundel) on Judiciary and Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Montgomery) on Ways and Means. Del. Stephanie Smith (D-Baltimore City) has been House parliamentarian since 2023 and is vice chair of a powerful Appropriations subcommittee.

“Speaker Jones guided our state with a steady hand through moments of historic change and challenge, always with compassion and clarity,” Wilkins, chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, said in a statement. “The Legislative Black Caucus is deeply grateful for her partnership, her mentorship, and her vision. Maryland is undeniably better because of Speaker Jones’s service, and her legacy will continue to inspire generations of leaders to come.”

Jones also appointed Del. David Moon (D-Montgomery) as the chamber’s first Asian-American majority leader, and Del. Mark Chang (D-Anne Arundel) as Appropriations vice chair. Del. Jazz Lewis (D-Prince George’s) is the House majority whip, and openly lesbian woman, Del. Bonnie Cullison (D-Montgomery), is vice chair of Health and Government Operations.

Praise for Jones also came from across the aisle.

“I commend Speaker Jones for making what I am sure was a difficult personal decision,” said House Minority Leader Jason C. Buckel (R-Allegany). “She has my respect and appreciation for her public service and her historic role as Speaker…. She was tough, but honest and gracious, and undoubtedly a good person who has left a profound legacy in Maryland.”

Senate Minority Leader Stephen S. Hershey Jr. (R-Upper Shore) and Minority Whip Sen. Justin Ready (Frederick and Carroll), called Jones’ resignation a “new chapter” for the General Assembly.

“While Republicans did not often share the same policy priorities, we nevertheless respect her decades of service to Maryland,” the senators said in a joint statement. “From her start as a delegate in 1997 to becoming the first woman and first African-American Speaker in our state’s history, Speaker Jones broke barriers and stood as a historic figure in Maryland politics. We appreciate her contributions to the state and look forward to working with the next Speaker to meet Maryland’s challenges.”

Jones has championed a number of social justice issues including increased funding for the state’s regularly underfunded Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She also threw her support behind ensuring equity licenses when the state opened recreational cannabis and sports gaming industries.

And she successfully backed efforts to enshrine the right to an abortion in the Maryland Constitution — a legislative effort backed by Busch before her.

“Serving my community in local government, as a delegate and the Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, has been my greatest honor,” Jones said in her statement Thursday. “Together, we have invested in new libraries, parks and infrastructure in Baltimore County; expanded my alma mater, UMBC; passed new inclusion measures at the State level to make sure that everyone has a seat at the table, and expanded our investment in classrooms and new school buildings to record levels to ensure that any child, regardless of zip code, has access to the best education.”

Her first session as speaker was truncated by COVID-19, and the pandemic would mark a large portion of her time as presiding officer.

“Throughout her career, she never flinched from stepping into the gap,” Moore said in his statement. “That work continues, and our state is better off because of it. Marylanders who will never meet her and may not even know her name will have their lives made better by her work.

Her departure touches off a new scramble to fill the void at the rostrum

Early candidates include Appropriations Chair Barnes and Health and Government Operations Chair Pena-Melnyk, Democrats from the same district that spans Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties. Also on the list are Lewis, Wilson and Wilkins.

Atterbeary was considered a contender for the position, but announced earlier this year that she would run for Howard County executive in 2026. It is not clear if Jones’ sudden departure will change her plans.

While she is stepping down as speaker, Jones says she is not going away but is “committed to the continued work of community for the people of this great State of Maryland.”

“I will remain as a delegate representing the best district in Maryland, District 10. Now is the time for me to step back and ‘raise high’ the stars of my leadership team,” her statement said. “I am turning my attention to coaching and mentoring and offering guidance and support to the next Speaker for a smooth transition.”