Ron Watson
2021 - Present
2027
3
float:right; border:1px solid #FFB81F; background-color: white; width: 250px; font-size: .9em; margin-bottom:0px;
} .infobox p { margin-bottom: 0; } .widget-row { display: inline-block; width: 100%; margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px; } .widget-row.heading { font-size: 1.2em; } .widget-row.value-only { text-align: center; background-color: grey; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.value-only.white { background-color: #f9f9f9; } .widget-row.value-only.black { background-color: #f9f9f9; color: black; } .widget-row.Democratic { background-color: #003388; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Republican { background-color: red; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Independent, .widget-row.Nonpartisan, .widget-row.Constitution { background-color: grey; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Libertarian { background-color: #f9d334; color: black; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Green { background-color: green; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-key { width: 43%; display: inline-block; padding-left: 10px; vertical-align: top; font-weight: bold; } .widget-value { width: 57%; float: right; display: inline-block; padding-left: 10px; word-wrap: break-word; } .widget-img { width: 150px; display: block; margin: auto; } .clearfix { clear: both; }
Ron Watson (Democratic Party) is a member of the Maryland State Senate, representing District 23. He assumed office on August 31, 2021. His current term ends on January 13, 2027.
Watson (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Maryland State Senate to represent District 23. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Ron Watson was appointed to the Maryland State Senate on August 27, 2021, by Gov. Larry Hogan (R) to fill the vacancy created by Douglas Peters (D), who resigned July 31, 2021.[1]
Biography
After growing up in Maryland, Watson graduated from Central Senior High in 1984.[2] He went on to earn a B.S. in electrical engineering from Morgan State University in 1991, an M.S. in advanced technology from Binghamton University in 1993, a Ph.D.in systems science from Binghamton University in 1999, and an MBA from George Washington University in 2002.[3]
Watson served in the United States Army Reserve from 1989 to 2006.[3]
Professionally, Watson has worked in business management and IT consulting.[3]
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
2022
See also: Maryland State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Maryland State Senate District 23
Incumbent Ron Watson defeated Jesse Peed in the general election for Maryland State Senate District 23 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ron Watson (D) | 87.4 | 41,343 |
 | Jesse Peed (R) | 12.4 | 5,886 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 93 | ||
| Total votes: 47,322 | |||
 = 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 State Senate District 23
Incumbent Ron Watson defeated Raaheela Ahmed and Sylvia Johnson in the Democratic primary for Maryland State Senate District 23 on July 19, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ron Watson | 42.6 | 10,359 |
 | Raaheela Ahmed | 38.7 | 9,415 | |
 | Sylvia Johnson | 18.8 | 4,567 | |
| Total votes: 24,341 | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 23
Jesse Peed advanced from the Republican primary for Maryland State Senate District 23 on July 19, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jesse Peed | 100.0 | 1,640 |
| Total votes: 1,640 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for Maryland House of Delegates District 23B (Historical) (2 seats)
Ron Watson and incumbent Marvin Holmes, Jr. won election in the general election for Maryland House of Delegates District 23B (Historical) on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ron Watson (D) | 50.5 | 30,579 |
| ✔ |  | Marvin Holmes, Jr. (D) | 48.3 | 29,235 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.1 | 685 | ||
| Total votes: 60,499 | |||
| = 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 23B (Historical) (2 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 23B (Historical) on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ron Watson | 29.5 | 8,869 |
| ✔ | | Marvin Holmes, Jr. | 27.5 | 8,287 |
 | Joseph Vallario Jr. | 21.7 | 6,519 | |
| Denise Tyler | 10.4 | 3,132 | |
| Caleb Gilchrist | 4.7 | 1,420 | |
| Pennie Parker | 3.7 | 1,106 | |
| Paul Manicone | 2.5 | 753 | |
| Total votes: 30,086 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2014
Elections for the Maryland House of Delegates took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 24, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 25, 2014. Incumbents Joseph F. Vallario, Jr. and Marvin E. Holmes, Jr. defeated Reginald Tyer, Jr., Ron Watson and Thea Wilson in the Democratic primary, while Mike Hethmon was unopposed in the Republican primary. Vallario and Holmes defeated Hethmon in the general election for two seats. Robin Breedon (I) was excluded from the ballot for not meeting petition requirements.[4][5][6]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Marin Holmes, Jr. Incumbent |
47.6% | 22,518 | |
| Democratic | Joseph F. Vallario, Jr. Incumbent |
40.8% | 19,274 | |
| Republican | Mike Hethmon | 11.6% | 5,494 | |
| Total Votes | 47,286 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Marvin Holmes, Jr. Incumbent |
32.8% | 6,323 |
| Joseph F. Vallario, Jr. Incumbent |
27.4% | 5,284 |
| Ron Watson | 22.6% | 4,357 |
| Thea Wilson | 14.5% | 2,801 |
| Reginald Tyer, Jr. | 2.7% | 524 |
| Total Votes | 19,289 | |
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ron Watson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2014
Watson's website highlighted the following campaign themes:
| “ | 1. Educational Priority A strong educational system is the linchpin to improving the economy, restoring home values, and breaking once and for all, the school-to-prison-pipeline. Currently, it costs about $13,000 to educate a child, and about $16,000 to incarcerate…….it is clear where our investment should be. ISSUE: Our current legislators in 23B have failed to fight for Prince George’s County’s “fair share” of state aid. We have lost approx $100M over the last several years because of the failure to act. SITUATION: State funding is allocated using an “inverse wealth” formula. Simply stated, the state takes the “net income” of all residents and determines the “relative wealth” of each county. Wealthier counties get more, poorer counties get less. In 2007 the federal filing deadline changed from Aug 1st to Oct 15th. Unfortunately, the state did not change the date by which they do their wealth assessment. Since wealthier folks and business tend to file late, a large portion of income is NOT accounted for. The Impact: Prince George’s County looks wealthier than it actually is, and Montgomery County looks poorer than it actually is. REMEDY: If our legislators would act, Prince George’s County would net an additional $13M per year in state educational aid, and Montgomery County would lose approx $25M per year. I represented our county against all other Boards of Education in 2007 when this issue first appeared but there were no legislators willing to take on the fight. We were told it would be addressed in 2008. IRONY: Collectively, the 2 incumbents have been in Annapolis for 52 years. This has been an issue for 7 years and again we were told at the end of the last legislative session that it will be addressed next year. Meanwhile, we receive postcards in the mail touting how much state funding has been “brought home”, while we cannot afford to bring back parent liaisons, teachers are still purchasing their own classroom supplies, and we continue to have a $2B backlog of facilities that need repair. It’s time for a change…..Vote Ron Watson. 2. Prince George’s County 2nd from the Bottom?
This change in demographics continues to impact the “At-Risk” population of our school district. Currently, PGCPS has the largest percentage of Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students, 3rd larger population of students on “Free and Reduced-price Meals”, and the 6th largest population of Special Education Students. All tolled, Prince George’s has the 3rd largest population of “At-Risk” students. That being said, NOW lets see why we are “at the bottom”……..
SUMMARY: We have a higher At-Risk student population, but schools districts with “less challenges” are receiving much more. We must have legislators who are willing to fight for the funding we need to properly educate our children and if our residents are serious about changing this trend, we must have new ways of solving these old problems. Our current legislators in 23B have had 52 years to solve the problem identified above. Do we really want to continue to hide the underlying problem and keep electing the same folks? Make the difference……Vote Ron Watson. SOURCE: Overview of Local Maryland Governments 2014 2. Legalizing Marijuana?
We must consider the impacts of marijuana on our medical professionals (doctors, dentist, etc) and how usage must be restricted for specific occupations. Those who operate heavy machinery and well as those whose job is to protect local and national security. We must stop sacrificing “Long-Term-Pain” for “Short-Term-Gain”. 3. What would be one of you first priorities if elected? 4. When money is tight, school funding is always impacted? What can you do to protect school funding if we are not getting the business growth we need. By facilitating “out of the box” thinking on alternative revenue streams. While a member of the Board of Education, and facing back-to-back years of decreased funding, I floated the idea of generating revenue by allowing advertisements on school buses. My thoughts were that advertisements are in every metro bus, every subway station, and every train. By allowing this, millions of dollars in “alternative revenue” could be raised. Unfortunately, because of the current laws, our school system can only derive its funding from federal, state, and county sources. Here is the potential: The House staff analysis says in Colorado, one of the states that allow exterior advertising, only 10 districts have chosen to put commercial messages on their buses. It’s estimated they raise $5,000 to $10,000 per bus annually. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/23/florida-lawmakers-considering-allowing-school-bus-advertisements/ PGCPS has a school bus fleet of 1,250 buses. Based on the conservative number above this equates to $6,250,000. Yes, there would have to be restrictions on the advertising for alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, prescription drugs, political ads, and material that’s inappropriate, offensive or insensitive to children or the community, but a little thinking “outside of the box” could go a long way. I proposed this in 2007 as a means to mitigate school funding reductions caused by the lack of action on the part of our legislators in District 23B to ensure our county got its “fair share”. I will push for our school system to have the flexibility to generate additional sources of revenue. 5. What changes, if any, would you make to Maryland’s tax structure? 6. What should the state’s transportation priorities be? 7. What is the most pressing environmental issue in Maryland? |
” |
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.
Committee assignments
2023-2024
Watson was assigned to the following committees:
- Education, Health & Environmental Affairs Committee
- Cybersecurity, Information Technology, & Biotechnology Committee
- Ending Homelessness Committee
color: #337ab7, }
2021-2022
Watson was assigned to the following committees:
color: #337ab7, }
2019-2020
Watson was assigned to the following committees:
color: #337ab7, }
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].
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2023, the Maryland State Legislature was in session from January 11 to April 10.
|
2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2022, the Maryland State Legislature was in session from January 12 to April 11.
|
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2021, the Maryland State Legislature was in session from January 13 to April 12.
|
2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2020, the Maryland State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 18.
|
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2019, the Maryland General Assembly was in session from January 9 through April 8.
|
See also
2022 Elections
External links
.contact_entity {font-size: 1.5em ;margin-top: 0.6em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;}
.contact_office { margin-top: 0.3em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;}
.external_links_table { width: auto !important; }
@media (max-width:600px) {
.contact_entity {font-size: 1.0em ;margin-top: 0.6em; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 0.5em;}
.contact_office { font-size: 0.8 em; margin-top: 0.6em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;}
}
Footnotes
- ↑ The Office of Governor Larry Hogan, "Governor Hogan Appoints Delegate Ronald Watson to Maryland Senate," August 27, 2021
- ↑ Ron for Maryland, "About Ron," accessed May 25, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbio - ↑ Maryland Secretary of State, "Official primary election candidate list," accessed March 3, 2014
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for House of Delegates," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "2014 Official General Election Results," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ Vote for Ron Watson, "Issues," accessed June 16, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Maryland State Senate District 23 2021-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by Joseph Vallario Jr. (D) |
Maryland House of Delegates District 23B (Historical) 2019-2021 |
Succeeded by - |
