Catherine Pugh
Catherine E. Pugh | |
---|---|
File:Pugh2015.jpg Catherine Pugh in 2007 | |
Majority Leader of the Maryland Senate from the 40th District | |
Assumed office 2015 | |
Preceded by | James N. Robey |
Member of the Maryland Senate from the 40th district | |
In office 2007–2015 | |
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 40th district | |
In office 2005–2007 | |
Member of the Baltimore City Council from the 4th district | |
In office 1999–2004 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Norristown, Pennsylvania, United States | March 10, 1950
Political party | Democratic |
Residence | Baltimore, Maryland |
Alma mater | Morgan State University |
Occupation | Businesswoman |
Catherine E. Pugh (born March 10, 1950) is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. She is currently serving in her 3rd term in the Maryland State Senate and is the Majority Leader, representing Maryland's District 40 in Baltimore City. She ran for mayor in 2011 and lost the primary to Stephanie Rawlings Blake. She ran again in 2016 mayoral election and became the Democratic nominee for mayor of Baltimore.
Background
Catherine Pugh earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from Morgan State University in Baltimore City, Maryland. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.[1]
Pugh is the president and CEO of C.E. Pugh & Company, a public relations firm. She served as an independent editor for the Baltimore Sun from the mid 1980s to early 1990s. She also served as the dean and director for Strayer Business College in Baltimore.[2]
In 1994, Pugh worked for WTGW-TV 48 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the host of “Another View,” a weekly public affairs program that focused on policy issues within the African American community and featured interviews with community leaders and public officials. Pugh also authored Mind Garden: Where Thoughts Grow and Healthy Holly, a children’s book series advocating exercise and healthy eating. She is the founder of programs such as the Baltimore Marathon; the Fish Out of Water Project, a program that promotes tourism in Baltimore City to raise money for arts programs for local youth; and the Need to Read Campaign, a program designed to help Baltimore residents improve their reading skills.[citation needed]
Political career
Pugh was first elected to the Baltimore City Council in 1999, where she served until 2004. She ran for president of the Baltimore City Council in 2003, but lost to Sheila Dixon in the primary. In 2005, the governor of Maryland appointed Pugh to an open seat in the Maryland House of Delegates, where she served for one year before winning a seat in the State Senate in 2006. She sits on the Finance Committee and serves as the State Senate Majority Leader.[citation needed]
She leads the state on cyber security and telemedicine expansion legislation. Pugh is also responsible for diversifying the state's $40 billion pension portfolio, having led the passage of Senate Bill 606, which increased African American and other minority managed dollars from $300 million to $4.2 billion.[3] Pugh is currently president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and she's the past chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and the Women's Caucus of Legislators in Maryland.[citation needed]
Baltimore mayoral campaign, 2016
In 2015, Pugh entered the democratic race for Mayor of Baltimore and launched her campaign headquarters in the city.[4] She was an underdog comparably to former Mayor Sheila Dixon until the beginning of 2016. The endorsement from congressman Elijah Cummings in April 2016 boosted her campaigning efforts.[5] The primary election results indicated that Pugh won with 37% of the vote, defeating the former mayor, Sheila Dixon, who received 34%.[6]
References
- ^ "Maryland Manual Online". Maryland State Archives. 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
- ^ Wenger, Yvonne (2016-03-25). "Catherine Pugh says experience and energy set her apart in mayoral race". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
- ^ Guy, Sally M.; Sprinkle Jody J.; et al. (February 2015). "Report of the Maryland Economic Development and Business Climate Commission" (PDF). Department of Legislative Services Office of Policy Analysis Annapolis, Maryland. p. 56. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ Wenger, Yvonne (12 Dec 2015), "Pugh Opens Campaign Headquarters, Officially Launches Bid For Mayor", The Baltimore Sun
- ^ Wenger, Yvonne (12 Apr 2016), "Elijah Cummings endorses Catherine Pugh for Baltimore mayor", The Baltimore Sun
- ^ Broadwater, Luke; Wenger, Yvonne (27 Apr 2016), "Catherine Pugh defeats Sheila Dixon in Democratic primary of Baltimore mayor's race", The Baltimore Sun