Stephen Waugh (politician)

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Stephen Waugh
Waugh in 2019
Member of the Maryland Senate
from the 29th district
In office
January 14, 2015 – January 9, 2019
Preceded byRoy Dyson
Succeeded byJack Bailey
Personal details
Born (1964-06-16) June 16, 1964 (age 59)
Annapolis, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMyra
Children2
EducationUnited States Naval Academy (BS)
University of Phoenix (MBA)
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Marine Corps
Years of service1986–2006
Unit3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion

Stephen M. Waugh (born June 16, 1964) is an American politician who was a member of the Maryland Senate representing District 29 in Calvert and St. Mary's counties from 2015 to 2019.

Early life and education[edit]

Waugh was born in Annapolis, Maryland, on June 16, 1964. He graduated from the Marine Military Academy before attending the United States Naval Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering in 1986. After graduating, Waugh served in the United States Marine Corps, serving as an AV-8B pilot, aviation safety officer, and forward air controller, and attaining the rank of chief of combat in the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion before leaving the Marine Corps in 2006 to attend the University of Phoenix, where he earned a Master of Business Administration degree in technology management.[1]

Career[edit]

After graduating from the University of Phoenix, Waugh worked as the director of Bowhead Support Services' Patuxent River Business Unit from 2006 to 2007, afterwards working as a systems engineer at the Applied Physics Laboratory in southern Maryland. He served as an alternate member of the Calvert County Board of Appeals from 2011 to 2014.[1]

Waugh first became involved with politics in 2008 after what he described as the country taking a "pretty serious left turn".[2] He unsuccessfully ran for the Maryland Senate in District 27 in 2010, losing to incumbent state senator Roy Dyson with 48.5 percent of the vote.[3]

Maryland Senate[edit]

Waugh was elected to the Maryland Senate in 2014 after defeating Dyson.[4] He was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 14, 2015. He served as a member of the Health and Environmental Affairs Committee during his entire tenure, including on its comptroller issues, education, and health subcommittees.[1] Waugh was considered one of the most effective Republican legislators in the Maryland General Assembly during his tenure.[2]

During the 2015 legislative session, Waugh introduced a bill to ban wind energy projects east of the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, which he said would interfere with the air station's specialized radar system used to test the stealth capabilities of aircraft.[5]

During the 2017 legislative session, Waugh opposed bills that would require the Maryland Department of Transportation to prioritize road construction projects using a scoring system,[6] give the attorney general of Maryland the ability to pursue cases against Trump administration policies,[7] and ban fracking in Maryland.[8] He also criticized President Donald Trump's proposal to cut all funding for the Chesapeake Bay Program in his 2018 fiscal year budget.[9]

In August 2017, following the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Waugh supported the removal of the Roger B. Taney Monument from the Maryland State House, saying that he didn't want it to "become a rallying cry for white nationalists".[10]

During the 2018 legislative session, Waugh criticized a bill to remove the Maryland Board of Public Works from hearing funding appeals from local officials, calling it the "great mistake of this session".[11] He also introduced a bill to repeal sections of the Firearms Safety Act of 2013, including a ban on the sale of assault weapons.[12] Following the Parkland high school shooting, Waugh led four bills aimed at addressing school safety, including one that would put armed school resource officers in every public school.[13][14] Waugh also voted to override Governor Larry Hogan's veto on a bill prohibiting colleges from asking about criminal history on student applications, the only Republican member of the Maryland General Assembly to do so.[2]

Waugh ran for a second term in 2018.[15] Governor Hogan—displeased with Waugh's legislative record, including on votes for legislation backed by Senate President Thomas V. Miller Jr. and veto overrides during the 2018 legislative session—supported his opponent, former Maryland Natural Resources police officer Jack Bailey,[16][17] who defeated Waugh in the Republican primary election on June 26, 2018, by a margin of 752 votes.[2][18] Waugh was the only Republican state senator to lose their primary election that year.[19]

In a November 2018 interview with Maryland Independent, Waugh blamed Hogan for his loss, saying that his endorsement led to a tidal shift in party loyalty that overwhelmed his campaign. Following his defeat, he applied to a doctorate program in engineering.[2]

Personal life[edit]

Waugh is married to his wife, Myra.[3] Together, they have two children.[1]

In November 2011, Waugh and his son were involved in a plane crash at the Chesapeake Ranch Estates airport in Lusby, Maryland, that left him with multiple broken bones.[3] The Federal Aviation Administration conducted an investigation into the plane crash, concluding that the crash occurred because of runway lights shining through the tall tree surrounding the runway, providing a "false sense of safe approach", and Waugh dragging the plane in "a little bit low" for a shallow landing. Waugh also blamed the environmental conditions at the airport, saying that a high overcast blocked all moonlight and starlight, creating a so-called black hole effect. In February 2012, Waugh's son received a "hero proclamation" from the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners for saving his father's life by pulling him from the aircraft following its crash.[20]

Electoral history[edit]

Maryland Senate District 29 Republican primary election, 2010[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Stephen M. Waugh 7,449 100.0
Maryland Senate District 29 election, 2010[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Roy Dyson (incumbent) 22,368 51.4
Republican Stephen M. Waugh 21,090 48.5
Write-in 28 0.1
Maryland Senate District 29 Republican primary election, 2014[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Steve Waugh 3,107 43.7
Republican Cindy Jones 2,071 29.1
Republican Larry Jarboe 1,939 27.2
Maryland Senate District 29 election, 2014[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Steve Waugh 22,183 56.5
Democratic Roy Dyson (incumbent) 17,065 43.4
Write-in 28 0.1
Maryland Senate District 29 Republican primary election, 2018[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jack Bailey 4,339 54.7
Republican Steve Waugh (incumbent) 3,587 45.3

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Stephen M. Waugh, Maryland State Senator". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Zou, Dandan (November 30, 2018). "Waugh disappointed by more than election result". Maryland Independent. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Harvat, Carol (November 22, 2011). "Plane crashes in Lusby". Maryland Independent. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  4. ^ Broadwater, Luke (November 5, 2014). "Republicans ride GOP wave to gain General Assembly seats". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  5. ^ Wheeler, Timothy B. (April 6, 2015). "Shore wind project scrapped amid political roadblocks". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  6. ^ Babcock, Jason; Ward, Tamara (January 6, 2017). "Lawmakers support repeal of road scoring law". Maryland Independent. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  7. ^ Taylor, Jacob; Schwartz, Natalie (February 13, 2017). "Md. Senate approves resolution to empower attorney general". Maryland Independent. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  8. ^ Zou, Dandan (March 21, 2017). "Gov. Hogan announces 'full support' of fracking ban". Maryland Independent. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  9. ^ Zou, Dandan (March 20, 2017). "Trump budget recommends eliminating funding for Chesapeake Bay Program". Maryland Independent. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  10. ^ Ward, Tamara (August 23, 2017). "Lawmakers debate removal of controversial statue from state house". Maryland Independent. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  11. ^ DePuyt, Bruce (March 29, 2018). "Likely Hogan Veto Awaits Controversial School Construction Bill". Maryland Matters. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  12. ^ Kelvey, Jon (March 24, 2018). "Carroll officials offer mixed response to firearms legislation". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  13. ^ Cox, Erin (March 20, 2018). "After Maryland school shooting, some state lawmakers react with pessimism over preventing gun violence". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  14. ^ "Maryland bill would put an armed officer in every public school". Associated Press. The Baltimore Sun. April 2, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  15. ^ Babcock, Jason (January 10, 2018). "Waugh files for a second term in state senate". Maryland Independent. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  16. ^ Babcock, Jason (March 9, 2018). "Waugh says he's on governor's 'naughty list'". Maryland Independent. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  17. ^ Kurtz, Josh (May 23, 2018). "How Are Vulnerable State Senators Doing? Check Out Their Fundraising Here". Maryland Matters. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  18. ^ Kurtz, Josh (June 28, 2018). "Maryland Primary: Winners and Losers". Maryland Matters. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  19. ^ Dresser, Michael (November 27, 2018). "Maryland Senate GOP re-elects Jennings as minority leader, Hershey as whip". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  20. ^ "Hero awarded; plane crash investigation complete". Maryland Independent. February 15, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  21. ^ "Official 2010 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  22. ^ "Official 2010 Gubernatorial General Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  23. ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  24. ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial General Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  25. ^ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections.
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