Charlotte Crutchfield

Charlotte Crutchfield
Crutchfield in 2024
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 19th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2019
Preceded byBenjamin F. Kramer
ConstituencyMontgomery County, Maryland
Personal details
Born (1963-12-08) December 8, 1963 (age 61)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceSilver Spring, Maryland
OccupationAttorney

Charlotte Crutchfield (born December 8, 1963) is an American politician from Maryland. She is a Democratic member of the Maryland House of Delegates who currently represents Maryland House of Delegates District 19 in Montgomery County.[1]

Early life and career

Crutchfield was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 8, 1963. She attended Howard University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1986, and the Boston College School of Law, where she earned a Juris Doctor in 1989. She was an assistant state's attorney for Montgomery County from 1991 to 1992. She also served as an associate general counsel at Gulfstream Aerospace from 1996 to 2002. Crutchfield is a practicing attorney in the area of employment law.[1]

Crutchfield first ran for the House of Delegates in 2014, coming in fourth place with 15.7 percent of the vote.[2] She expressed a "very strong interest" in running again in 2018,[3] eventually filing to run on January 10, 2018.[4] She came in second place in the Democratic primary election, receiving 17.6 percent of the vote.[5]

In the legislature

Charlotte Crutchfield was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 9, 2019.[1] She, along with Jheanelle Wilkins and Pamela Queen, became the first Black women elected to represent Montgomery County in the House of Delegates.[6]

On May 20, 2020, Crutchfield wrote a letter to Governor Larry Hogan urging him to grant clemency to Eraina Pretty, the longest-serving female prisoner in Maryland, after she tested positive for COVID-19.[7] Crutchfield wrote, "Though she was convicted of a violent crime, she is not a violent person. There is no reason to believe that if Ms. Pretty were released she would pose a danger to society."[8] A Baltimore circuit judge granted the release of Pretty on December 14, 2020.[9][10]

Committee assignments

  • Member, Judiciary Committee, 2019–present (family law subcommittee, 2019–2020; public safety subcommittee, 2019–2020; chair, juvenile law subcommittee, 2020; member, civil law & procedure subcommittee, 2021–present; chair, family & juvenile law subcommittee, 2021–present)

Other memberships

  • Secretary, Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, 2019–present
  • Member, Maryland Legislative Transit Caucus, 2019–present
  • Member, Maryland Veterans Caucus, 2019–present
  • Member, Women Legislators of Maryland, 2019–present
  • Member, Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus, 2021–present

Personal life

Crutchfield is a military widow.[11] She has two children[1] and lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.[12]

Political positions

Criminal justice

Crutchfield introduced legislation during the 2021 legislative session that would allow individuals convicted of first-degree murder as minors to have their convictions reviewed.[13]

During the 2019 legislative session, Crutchfield introduced legislation to create a separate, pre-release mediation unit for women in the state prison system.[14][15] She introduced legislation during the 2021 legislative session that would repeal the prohibition on prosecuting sexual crimes against a victim who is the spouse of the assailant.[16][17] The bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 125-4.[18] The bill was re-introduced during the 2022 legislative session,[19] during which it passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 125-6 and the Senate by 46-0.[20]

Crutchfield introduced legislation during the 2022 legislative session that would allow hate crime victims to bring civil action against the person who committed the act. The bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 94-41.[21]

Marijuana

During her 2018 campaign, Crutchfield said that she would vote to legalize recreational marijuana.[22] During her first term, Crutchfield co-sponsored various bills to automatically expunge legal records related to marijuana possession.[23][24]

Electoral history

Maryland House of Delegates District 19 Democratic Primary Election, 2014[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ben Kramer 8,196 29
Democratic Bonnie Cullison 6,279 22
Democratic Maricé Morales 4,894 17
Democratic Charlotte Crutchfield 4,512 16
Democratic Paul Bardack 3,679 13
Democratic Melodye A. Berry 1,238 4
Maryland House of Delegates District 19 Democratic Election, 2018[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bonnie Cullison 7,209 21
Democratic Charlotte Cruchfield 6,166 18
Democratic Vaughn M. Stewart 5,939 17
Democratic Maricé Morales 5,492 16
Democratic Marlin Jenkins 4,531 13
Democratic Brian Crider 3,037 9
Democratic Carl Ward 1,830 5
Democratic Jade Wiles, Jr. 855 2
Maryland House of Delegates District 19 General Election, 2018[26]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Charlotte Crutchfield 34,507 26
Democratic Bonnie L. Cullison 33,690 25
Democratic Vaughn M. Stewart 32,636 24
Republican Helen Domenici 10,460 8
Republican David Pasti 12,234 9
Republican Martha Schaerr 10,651 8

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Charlotte Crutchfield, Maryland State Delegate". msa.maryland.gov. Maryland Manual On-Line. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. July 6, 2014.
  3. ^ Peck, Louis (August 3, 2017). "With Manno Running For Congress, Cullison Eyes Bid For His State Senate Seat". Bethesda Magazine. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  4. ^ "2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election State Candidates List". msa.maryland.gov. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  5. ^ Peck, Louis (June 27, 2018). "Updated: Waldstreicher Bests Beyer To Win Madaleno's Senate Seat in Heated District 18 Race". Bethesda Magazine. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  6. ^ Gaines, Danielle E. (November 9, 2018). "Highest Number of Women Headed to General Assembly". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  7. ^ Wiggins, Ovetta (May 20, 2020). "Maryland's longest-serving female prisoner had covid-19. Lawmakers push for her release". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  8. ^ Guest Commentary (May 20, 2020). "An Open Letter Urging Gov. Hogan to Free Eraina Pretty". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  9. ^ Gaskill, Hannah (December 15, 2020). "Maryland's Longest-Incarcerated Woman Prisoner Set to Be Released". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  10. ^ "Judge frees Maryland's longest serving female prisoner". Associated Press. Baltimore. December 15, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  11. ^ Hernández, Arelis R.; Wiggins, Ovetta (January 9, 2019). "Meet the freshman class of the Maryland General Assembly". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  12. ^ Peck, Louis (July 31, 2013). "District 19 Divide: Arora Won't Be Part of Incumbent Slate". Bethesda Magazine. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  13. ^ Gaskill, Hannah (January 20, 2021). "'The House Is on Fire': Prisoners' Rights Activists Call on Hogan to Act Immediately". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  14. ^ Campbell, Colin (October 14, 2019). "From Hagerstown to Baltimore, 70-mile run symbolizes struggle ex-offenders must overcome to rejoin society". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  15. ^ "Legislation - HB0608". mgaleg.maryland.gov. Maryland General Assembly. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  16. ^ Seif, Kimberly (March 30, 2021). "Bill to repeal spousal defense for sexual crimes moves to Maryland House of Delegates". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  17. ^ "Maryland Lawmakers Look To Repeal State's 'Archaic' Sex Laws". WJZ-TV. Capital News Service. January 23, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  18. ^ "Legislation - HB0147". mgaleg.maryland.gov. Maryland General Assembly. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  19. ^ Subin, Samantha J. (January 28, 2022). "Advocates again seek to ban spousal defense for sex crimes". The Daily Record. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  20. ^ "Legislation - HB0153". mgaleg.maryland.gov. Maryland General Assembly. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  21. ^ Gaskill, Hannah; Kurtz, Josh; Shwe, Elizabeth (April 6, 2022). "Legislative Roundup: Patterson's Decision, House Debates Hate Crime Bill, Centenarian Tax Cuts and More". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  22. ^ Peck, Louis (May 30, 2018). "District 19 Candidates Field Some Questions Not Usually Heard at Delegate Forums". Bethesda Magazine. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  23. ^ Baltimore Sun Editorial Board (January 23, 2020). "Maryland legislative roundup, courts and crime edition; Baltimore Sun editorial board weighs in on new bills". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  24. ^ Gessler, Paul (February 15, 2022). "Marijuana Legalization Could Be On The November Ballot in Maryland". WJZ-TV. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  25. ^ "2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. June 27, 2018.
  26. ^ "2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. November 6, 2018.