Maryland House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) on Thursday said she will step down from her leadership position, marking the end of an era in which she made history as the first Black woman to serve in the role.
“When elected Speaker, I never intended this to be forever,” Jones said in a statement, in which she pointed to changing seasons in her life as the reason for her departure. “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.”
The 71-year-old lawmaker has filed for reelection in 2026 and will continue in her position as a delegate representing Maryland’s 10th District next year. Her decision to step down from leadership a month before the 2027 legislative session begins comes after a difficult year. Jones and other state leaders had to navigate a budget crisis and ongoing financial challenges sparked by federal policy decisions under the Trump administration. Jones’s son also died in February.
Jones, regarded by many in her chamber as an understated leader who nonetheless holds strong convictions, has been working closely with those in her caucus to push for electoral redistricting in Maryland.
House Majority Leader David Moon (D-Montgomery), who has led that effort, said he and his colleagues met with Jones on Thursday. He characterized her departure as a decision to “step down from the role and focus on her health.”
“We’re all absorbing the news,” Moon said. He said Jones’s “bold leadership” unified the chamber’s Democratic caucus.
A spokesperson for Jones declined to comment on her health.
Jones stepped into her role as the first Black person and first woman to lead the Maryland House of Delegates in 2019, a history-making triumph that ended a bitter contest for one of the most important positions of power within the state capital. She succeeded longtime speaker Michael E. Busch after his unexpected death, a period of time when the Democratic caucus was deeply divided.
“I wasn’t sure that we were going to be able to pull together as a team,” Moon said. “She was a very unifying presence among what had been very divided factions of the party.”
Her tenure was marked by legislation tackling police reform in the wake of George Floyd’s in-custody killing in Minneapolis; legalizing recreational marijuana; enshrining reproductive health-care access in the state constitution; implementing the comprehensive Blueprint public education plan; and preserving Maryland’s African American history.
Her ascension to her leadership role marked an ongoing transformation in what leadership looks like in Maryland, a deep-blue state with a large Black population that had historically been run by White men at the highest levels of political power.
“She broke glass ceilings,” said Del. Nicole A. Williams (D-Prince George’s). “She served as a role model for many of us in the chamber and in the state.”
When Jones was unanimously voted by the Democratic caucus to serve as speaker, the state had a few Black members and no women in Congress, and the governor’s mansion had only been held by White men. Now, Maryland is led by Gov. Wes Moore (D), the state’s first Black governor. Attorney General Anthony G. Brown became the first Black person to hold that job in 2023. Two of the state’s eight representatives in the U.S. House are women, and one of its senators is a Black woman.
“Adrienne Jones was a friend and mentor long before she ever earned the title ‘Speaker,’” Moore said in a statement reacting to her decision to step down. “Her leadership and mentorship have been instrumental to me and so many others who serve the people of Maryland.”
Del. Jheanelle K. Wilkins (D-Montgomery), chair of Maryland’s Legislative Black Caucus, in a statement praised Jones’s mentorship and said her rise to power “opened doors for countless Marylanders who could see themselves reflected in the highest levels of leadership.”
Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said Jones helped lead the state legislature through “one of the most consequential times in Maryland’s history.”
“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,” he said in a statement on X.
Republican leaders in the House also commended Jones for her years of public service, calling her “tough, but honest and gracious, and undoubtedly a good person who has left a profound legacy in Maryland.”
Jones first joined the House of Delegates in 1997. She served as speaker pro tem for more than 16 years before she was chosen to be House speaker. Much of her work focused on advocating for improving Maryland schools, uplifting the state’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), advocating for the social and economic advancement of underrepresented communities, and pushing to better Baltimore County.
“I have spent my life giving back to my community, the people of Baltimore County and the State of Maryland,” Jones said in her statement, reflecting on her many years in the state legislature. “Serving my community in local government, as a delegate and the Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates has been my greatest honor.”
The next speaker is likely to come from among the House leaders Jones mentored during her tenure, all of whom are Democrats.
The Democratic-controlled House will have to choose a speaker as the next legislative session approaches. The House Democratic Caucus will meet Dec. 16 to nominate a speaker. Lawmakers are scheduled to convene in Annapolis on Jan. 14.
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