Brenda Thiam
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Brenda Thiam (Republican Party) was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 2B. She assumed office on September 23, 2020. She left office on January 11, 2023.
Thiam (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Maryland's 6th Congressional District. She lost in the Republican primary on May 14, 2024.
Thiam completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Brenda Thiam's education includes:
- Bachelor's in physical education, North Carolina Central University, 1994
- Master's of education, University of Maryland, College Park, 2002
- Ph.D. in special education leadership, Capella University, 2015
- Post graduate certificate in applied behavioral analysis, Pennsylvania State University, 2017[1]
As of her appointment to the House of Delegates in 2020, Thiam worked as a behavioral health technician for Achieving True Self. Other career experience includes:
- 2007-2019: Special education teacher specialist (autism), Washington County Public School System
- 2003-2007: Director of education, Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children, Community School of Maryland
- 2002-2003: Special education teacher, Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children
- 2000-2002: Special education teacher, National Children's Center
- 2002-2002: Special education teacher/student teacher, Montgomery County Public Schools
- 1996-2000: Special education teacher, Grafton School, Inc.
Committee assignments
2021-2022
Thiam was assigned to the following committees:
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Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
See also: Maryland's 6th Congressional District election, 2024
Maryland's 6th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 14 Democratic primary)
Maryland's 6th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 14 Republican primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Maryland District 6
April McClain-Delaney defeated Neil Parrott in the general election for U.S. House Maryland District 6 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | April McClain-Delaney (D) | 52.1 | 182,891 |
 | Neil Parrott (R) | 47.9 | 168,220 | |
| Total votes: 351,111 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jason Johnson (Independent)
- Moshe Landman (G)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Maryland District 6
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Maryland District 6 on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | April McClain-Delaney | 40.4 | 22,985 |
 | Joe Vogel | 26.2 | 14,940 | |
 | Ashwani Jain | 8.3 | 4,750 | |
 | Tekesha Martinez | 7.0 | 3,992 | |
 | Lesley Lopez | 4.6 | 2,600 | |
 | Laurie-Anne Sayles | 3.2 | 1,845 | |
 | Destiny West | 1.9 | 1,086 | |
 | Mohammad Mozumder | 1.8 | 1,005 | |
 | Joel Rubin | 1.4 | 820 | |
 | Peter Choharis | 1.4 | 818 | |
 | Geoffrey Grammer | 1.1 | 651 | |
 | George Gluck | 0.8 | 437 | |
 | Kiambo White | 0.7 | 401 | |
 | Stephen McDow | 0.4 | 246 | |
 | Altimont Wilks | 0.3 | 179 | |
 | Adrian Petrus | 0.3 | 166 | |
| Total votes: 56,921 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mia Mason (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Maryland District 6
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Maryland District 6 on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Neil Parrott | 45.9 | 22,604 |
 | Dan Cox | 30.1 | 14,797 | |
 | Mariela Roca | 12.3 | 6,071 | |
 | Tom Royals | 4.2 | 2,060 | |
 | Chris Hyser | 3.3 | 1,625 | |
 | Brenda Thiam | 3.3 | 1,607 | |
 | Todd Puglisi | 0.9 | 446 | |
| Total votes: 49,210 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Heath Barnes (R)
2022
See also: Maryland House of Delegates elections, 2022
General election
General election for Maryland House of Delegates District 2B
Brooke Grossman defeated incumbent Brenda Thiam in the general election for Maryland House of Delegates District 2B on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Brooke Grossman (D) | 54.2 | 5,001 |
| Brenda Thiam (R) | 45.7 | 4,222 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 12 | ||
| Total votes: 9,235 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 2B
Brooke Grossman defeated Ladetra Robinson in the Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 2B on July 19, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brooke Grossman | 61.3 | 1,167 |
 | Ladetra Robinson | 38.7 | 738 | |
| Total votes: 1,905 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 2B
Incumbent Brenda Thiam defeated Thomas Stolz in the Republican primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 2B on July 19, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brenda Thiam | 54.2 | 916 |
 | Thomas Stolz | 45.8 | 773 | |
| Total votes: 1,689 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Brenda Thiam completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Thiam's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I live in Hagerstown, but I was born and raised in Raeford, North Carolina. I'm the middle child of five children raised by a mother who was divorced and always worked two jobs to take care of us. I attended and graduated from North Carolina Central University in 1994. I moved to Maryland in 1995 but made Hagerstown my home in 2006 through a few cities. I obtained my doctorate (PhD) in special education leadership. Before politics, I taught special education to students with autism. I was also a director of a nonpublic school for children with autism. I'm a former State Delegate in the Maryland General Assembly where I represented constituents of Hagerstown, district 2B (2020-2023).
My husband and I recently established a nonprofit organization to meet the residential and supported employment needs of adults with autism and intellectual disability. We are awaiting licensure from the State to operate at full capacity.
I'm a Board Member of Brook Lane Health Services. I have recently volunteered with Meals-On-Wheels to help deliver meals to seniors. Until I became employed with Partners In Care, Inc., I volunteered with the organization to assist with transporting seniors to various appointments. I'm an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (Frederick County Alumnae Chapter).
I'm married and my husband and I have one daughter who is a freshman in college. We have two fur babies, Johnny and Zeus.
- I'm a former state delegate in the Maryland General Assembly. My experiences in Annapolis have prepared me for the work in Washington, DC as a representative in the U.S. Congress. While I served in the legislature, I was able to obtain funding from the Governor's budget for the Commission on Aging to assist them with improving programs for seniors. I also obtained funding via a legislative bond for a community center located in a socioeconomically disadvantaged area of Hagerstown. I sponsored HB221 that enabled disabled veterans to obtain a complimentary angler's license. I have the skillset to debate policy on the floor and work collaboratively with Republican colleagues and members across the aisle.
- President Ronald Reagan stated when a nation can't control its borders, it's no longer a nation. Our borders have become dangerously compromised, which allows illegal aliens to enter. Some who enter illegally are found on terrorist watch lists and have committed felonious crimes in their native country. The Biden administration can easily resolve this crisis at the border by closing the border. I'm in support of immigrants coming to America if they are seeking asylum or coming to pursue education opportunities to have a better life. However, it must be done the right way and they must come legally. Our immigration system is severely broken and we must fix the system, but not compromise the integrity of the process.
- I'm pro 2nd amendment and support American citizens who choose to conceal and carry a firearm. It's our constitutional right to do so and our rights must be upheld. Democrats believe we have a gun violence problem, but I believe we have a mental health problem. People who choose to use a firearm to murder children in a school or people in a theater or church are mentally ill. Guns don't kill people; people use guns to kill people. We have background checks in place for people who choose to purchase and/or carry a firearm. A high percentage of crimes involving a firearm are committed by repeat offenders. Policy needs to focus on punitive measures for repeat offenders who commit crimes and a firearm is used.
Education and workforce
Immigration
Black women's mortality rate when giving birthSenior citizens
Law enforcement
My mother. She was a godly Christian woman who prayed for her enemies. I witnessed God bless my mother in many ways when she prayed for people who didn't like her.
Book: Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed, by Jason Riley.
A person must be of good moral character and demonstrate integrity and trustworthiness. Good leadership skills are also a necessary characteristic to possess as an elected official. The life of an elected official can be very busy; therefore, prioritization of tasks and organization is paramount. The elected official must also be a people person. They must know how to relate to people from all walks of life and people who come from diverse backgrounds.
I'm an active listener. I take notes, when possible so that I can capture conversations with people and reference the conversation later to determine if there's any action needed. I understand the importance of responding promptly to constituents regarding major concerns. If the person took the time to reach out to me with a concern, I must take some time to follow up and try to resolve the issue. I understand the importance of time management. It's important to prioritize tasks and delegate specific tasks to others to ensure major tasks are completed. I also use a checklist to complete a list of tasks. This keeps me focused as tasks are completed.
An elected official must represent the Will of the People. This requires listening to what constituents have to share and deciding if concerns can be addressed through policy development. The elected official must keep their constituents abreast of what's going on in Congress. An elected official also introduces legislation and debates legislation in committee hearings and on the floor. It's also important for the elected official to read legislation by other elected officials and offer friendly amendments to make the bill better.
Work hard for everything in life and understand that no one owes you anything. If you want something, work for it. You'll appreciate it more than if someone gave it to you.
I remember the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986.
Burlington Industries. I worked there for one year; until I went to college.
The Bible. The scriptures encourage me and remind me of the promises of God.
Cover Me by Rodney Posey
Being on time and not waiting until the last minute to complete a task.
A U.S. Representative must be able to work collaboratively and respectfully with others who have different political views. It's also important to have integrity and good moral character. People must be able to trust you as a representative and trust you will listen to the concerns of constituents. It's adamant to follow up with constituents and respond to emails and telephone calls. The representative must keep his/her constituents abreast of legislation that is important to the district.
I think it's beneficial for a representative to have some government or political experience, but it's not necessary. It takes time to get through the logistics and processes of a newly elected or appointed position. However, if the person is a quick study, they should be able to navigate the position fine.
The economy, immigration, and education.
I support term limits for the U.S. Congress.
No one in particular.
I had an emotional conversation with a 70+-year-old woman while out door knocking. She lives alone (her husband passed away from cancer and she doesn't have children). She has medical bills she's paying from a previous illness. She talked about her struggle to pay her household bills, buy groceries, and medication. She shared her monthly income with me as well as her expenses for the month. There was zero wiggle room for extra spending. Every penny is spent on her rent, household bills, groceries, and prescriptions. She stated she reduced her cable and cell phone bills to basic and she discontinued her house phone bill to try to save money. She doesn't go to the movies or engage in extracurricular activities because she can't afford it. She would love to go to the Maryland Theater in Hagerstown to see a show but that would mean eliminating something in her budget that's needed. She ended by saying she worked since she was 16 years old and had a professional job in her adult years, but it still wasn't enough. She begged me to fight to save social security because that's all she has for income. That has been the typical conversation with older citizens.
A cheese factory exploded in France.
That's awful.
It is Da Brie everywhere.
Yes, but not at the cost of going against your morals, beliefs, and value system.
The Constitution states that Congress has the power of the purse. Our Founding Fathers wholeheartedly believed that separation of powers was necessary to protect citizens, and this power enabled Congress to be a microscope on the executive branch to not overspend. Congress can impose stipulations regarding how money is used and where funding is allocated. This gives Congress control over the budget and how taxes are utilized.
The US House uses its investigative powers through the use of hearings. Congress has the right to conduct investigations when the need presents itself. Data that is collected as a result of investigations and hearings should be used to explore potential policies or to determine if existing laws are properly administered.
Heath Barnes, Burgess of Woodsboro
Education and the Workforce
Ethics
Agriculture
Judiciary
Ways and Means
However, I look forward to working on behalf of American citizens and would be receptive to being assigned to any committee where I'm needed.
We can not allow the government to be unaccountable to the American people. There must be oversight and transparency with how taxpayer dollars are allocated. Continuing with resolutions and 11th hour possible government shut downs must become an old practice of Congress. The government must apprise constituents of how their tax dollars are spent. The government must be held to the highest standard of accountability to its citizens.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Thiam’s campaign website stated the following:
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EDUCATION Brenda will support parental rights in education. Parents have every right to be involved in the education of their children. If parents are not supportive of questionable content that is provided to the student under the guise of instruction, they should be heard loud and clear. Brenda will support and sponsor legislation that will ensure parent’s rights are guarded and protected. The Biden-Harris administration is on board with the far-left agenda that is perpetuated by the teacher’s unions and the narrative they are pushing. They believe that young children should be privy to learning about gender-affirming doctrine, and in some states (Maryland) parents are left in the dark about these conversations. Brenda will vote against such policies and will always stand up for research-based instruction when educating children to prepare them for post-secondary outcomes. 2ND AMENDMENT LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIME My public safety initiatives include: Support Law Enforcement: Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to protect us. I will advocate for policies that provide first responders with the necessary resources, training, and the appreciation they deserve. Crime is increasing more and more in our communities with each passing day. We need law enforcement officers to remain in our communities and help to keep us safe. We need to focus on avenues to assist law enforcement agencies with recruiting citizens who desire to work in the field of law enforcement. Over the last few years, law enforcement and police officers have been vilified for the work that they do in the community while serving daily. We can’t disparage the entire law enforcement community because of one or two officers who use poor judgment when faced with a life-and-death situation. I will not support policies that defund the police and take resources away from them to give to social justice programs. I will make every effort to support our law enforcement and the men and women who put their lives on the line each day. ADDRESSING ECONOMIC GROWTH, INFLATION, THE ECONOMY, AND JOBS It is by addressing economic incentives in the 6th District’s Appalachian counties (Washington, Allegany, and Garrett) that businesses can be lured to invest in job creation. We must incentivize businesses to invest in our district. Confront the challenges posed by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and the potential displacement of jobs within white-collar sectors in the forthcoming years. It’s crucial to remember that, even if AI may result in job displacement in some industries, it can also open up new opportunities in others. The key to ensuring that people are prepared to adapt to the changing job landscape is comprehensive workforce planning, upskilling and reskilling initiatives, and a coordinated approach between governments, industries, and educational institutions. CRISIS AT THE BORDER Drugs have come across the border. Murderers have come across the border; human traffickers have come across our borders. We must enact policies that will protect our borders and keep bad people out. I’m married to a man who came from a foreign country and decided to become a citizen of the United States of America. He tells me and our daughter often that America is a beautiful country and we must appreciate the freedoms we are afforded. Immigrants are encouraged to come to America but they must come to America legally, not illegally crossing the borders. As your representative, I will work with fellow Republicans, and any common-sense Democrats, to protect our borders that will keep us safe from harm. I will work to sponsor and/or support legislation that will improve our system for those who seek to come to our country and become a citizen of the United States of America. The system is badly broken and we have the responsibility to fix it. PROTECTING THE UNBORN/PRO-LIFE Abortion is not healthcare. It should not be used like birth control when a woman doesn’t want the child. Young women and women need to be aware of their options and they may find that there are other options to consider over abortion. Abortion is a very sensitive topic and options must be discussed with the woman.[2] |
” |
| —Brenda Thiam’s campaign website (2024)[3] | ||
2022
Brenda Thiam did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Maryland scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].
2022
In 2022, the Maryland State Legislature was in session from January 12 to April 11.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the support and expansion of the state's solar pilot program.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to animal issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored their voting record, committee efficiency, and individual initiative.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Maryland State Legislature was in session from January 13 to April 12.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Maryland State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 18.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate U.S. House Maryland District 6 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Brenda Thiam, PhD," accessed October 1, 2020
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Brenda Thiam’s campaign website, “Issues,” accessed April 19, 2024
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Paul Corderman (R) |
Maryland House of Delegates District 2B 2020-2023 |
Succeeded by Brooke Grossman (D) |
