Jon S. Cardin


Jon S. Cardin is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. He currently serves in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Maryland's District 11 in Baltimore County. He is a member of the Judiciary Committee and the chair of the Civil Proceedings Subcommittee. He previously represented the same district from 2003 through 2015. During that time he was a member of the Ways and Means Committee and chaired the Election Law Subcommittee. Cardin is the nephew of Ben Cardin, the senior United States Senator from Maryland. In 2014, he ran for Attorney General of Maryland, but lost in the Democratic primary to state senator Brian Frosh.

Education

Cardin attended Tufts University for his undergraduate work and spent two years teaching Spanish at Mercersburg Academy. He returned to school to earn a Master of Policy Sciences degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and a Masters of Arts degree in Judaic Studies from Baltimore Hebrew University, working before and after completion of the two degrees for the Baltimore Jewish Council and the Project Judaica Foundation. He again returned to school to earn a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law. Cardin clerked for U.S. District Court Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. before full-time employment as an attorney.

House of Delegates

Cardin was elected to the House of Delegates in 2002, 2006, and 2010 and 2018. Previous to Cardin's 2002 election, his uncle Senator Ben Cardin, great uncle Maurice Cardin, and grandfather Meyer Cardin held the same seat. Cardin did not pursue reelection in 2014, as he ran for Attorney General of Maryland.

Cyberbullying

After the suicide of Howard County teenager Grace McComas was revealed to be the result of intense cyberbullying, Cardin introduced a bill that made it a misdemeanor to repeatedly and maliciously bully a minor through a computer or smart phone. The law was named "Grace's Law" to honor McComas's memory.

Committee and caucus assignments

In August 2009, Delegate Cardin was criticized for using Baltimore Police Department resources to perform a marriage proposal prank. Cardin was using a friend's boat when police boarded the boat as a Foxtrot helicopter hovered above the boat. According to The Baltimore Sun, Cardin's girlfriend thought she was going to be arrested when Cardin proposed to her. After the issue became public, Delegate Cardin promised to reimburse the City of Baltimore for the costs incurred. Cardin paid $300 to the Baltimore Police Department to cover the costs and donated $1,000 to the City's mounted unit.

Electoral history