Senator Washington’s Biography

Democrat - District 22 <p> <p> Vice Chair, House Ways & Means Committee </p> <p> Chair, Education Subcommittee <p>

  • Delegate Alonzo T. Washington

  • Democrat - District 22

    Vice Chair, House Ways & Means Committee

    Chair, Education Subcommittee

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A Tireless Advocate for His Constituents

In the 2022 Democratic Primary, Alonzo T. Washington worked tirelessly to gain the trust and support of his District 22 constituents. Then a State Delegate, he enthusiastically toured every public school, hosted town hall meetings, and knocked on thousands of doors, to hear his constituents’ concerns firsthand. Through his grassroots efforts, Alonzo finished first out of the six candidates for the House—finishing in first place for the third consecutive primary election. As a member of the House of Delegates, Alonzo served in several leadership positions, including Vice Chair of the Ways and Means Committee, and Chair of the Education Subcommittee. He was the first black person, and first Prince Georgian to ever hold that position.

In previous years, he has served as Deputy Majority Whip, First Vice Chair of the Prince George’s House Delegation, Chair of the House Election Law Subcommittee, Chair of the Prince George’s County Education Committee, and Chair of the Prince George’s County Law Enforcement Committee. Alonzo also served as Co-Chair of the Prince George’s County Police Reform Work Group, and was a member of the Kirwan Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Education during his tenure in the House.

In January 2023, Alonzo was appointed to serve as State Senator for District 22 – the first Black person to ever represent our District in the Maryland Senate. In this new role, Senator Washington fashioned his priorities to reduce poverty, promote a vibrant local economy, achieve greater accountability from our public schools, and close the student achievement gap. As a member of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, Senator Washington has influenced the flow of resources towards better educational opportunities, a more equitable tax code, and a stronger climate for Maryland small businesses and startup companies to succeed.

A Grassroots Leader from Humble Beginnings

Senator Washington is a life-long resident of Prince George’s County and a graduate of its public schools. The oldest of six children, he grew up under difficult circumstances which caused his family to be homeless for a short time; and to occasionally reside in some of the county’s most troubled neighborhoods. Raised by a strong single mother, who believed in the power of education, Senator Washington became the first member of his family to attend college. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice.

Since his election, Senator Washington has continued to work tirelessly to keep his constituents connected, informed and engaged with their community. To keep the community informed during the COVID-19 pandemic, he partnered with community leaders to hold several virtual town halls on key ballot initiatives, voting access, education, and much more. To provide essential resources to one of the most distressed communities in District 22, Senator Washington hosted his District’s 6th Annual Palmer Park School Supply Giveaway. He has also sponsored several meal distributions and community resource drives across District 22.

These experiences have allowed Senator Washington to become both a trusted and reliable member of the local community as well as an insightful political leader, poised to prepare Prince George’s County to tackle major initiatives, such as reforming our education system, ensuring consumer protections, and developing the Purple Line.

Senator Washington has previously worked as Executive Director of CASA in Action, Chief of Staff on Prince George’s Council, and for the County Redevelopment Authority. He currently resides in Greenbelt, Maryland with his wife, Rohey; their daughter; and adopted dog, Policy.

Our District

Our Supporters

Ingrid Turner, Greenbelt
“Alonzo understands the difficult economic circumstances facing families in our County. As Delegate, Alonzo is committed to eliminating poverty by raising the minimum wage, investing in career training programs, and making college affordable.”
John Tabori, University Park
"Alonzo has experience in revitalizing neighborhoods and advocating for sustainable, transit-oriented development. He is dedicated to the relocation of the FBI Headquarters to Greenbelt Metro and building the Purple Line."
Rolline Washington, Palmer Park
"Though Palmer Park is new to District 22, I have already witnessed Alonzo's continued commitment and dedication to our community. His efforts to empower our youth and revitalize our neighborhoods demonstrate his understanding of the needs of his constituents."
Vernon Archer, Riverdale Park
"Alonzo has worked hard to understand the needs of our students, parents, and teachers. I have seen firsthand Alonzo’s commitment to closing the achievement gap and reforming our County schools."

Our Plans

  • My top priority for the 2015 Legislative Session is to reform our County's public school system. With a dropout rate of 25%, we need to do more to ensure that our students are staying in modern, technology-centered classrooms. To keep students in the classroom, I am prosing legislation to alter our suspension system, so schools will have the option to put students in local community service programs instead of sending them home for non-violent offenses. I am also working to ensure that our classrooms are evaluated by modern standards, so they are safe learning environments for our teachers and students.
  • In the wake of the events surrounding Michael Brown and Eric Gardner's deaths, we need greater accountability in our police departments and stronger community policing efforts. I plan to propose legislation to ensure that all police officers across our County and our State are equipped with body cameras to promote greater transparency with the public. I will also promote legislation to track how many police homicides are committed by officers each year. It is my hope that these initiatives will serve as the beginnings of true criminal justice reforms.
  • The two biggest economic projects that will benefit our District are the construction of the Purple Line and the relocation of the FBI headquarters to Greenbelt, MD. Not only will they bring thousands of jobs to our communities, but they will serve as examples to the rest of the County of the importance of transit-oriented development. If we can to continue to attract quality businesses to our County and move away from low economic drivers, then we must invest in transit-oriented development.
  • Prince George's County faces one of the highest foreclosure rates in the entire country. Many of our strongest, historic communities have been ravaged by foreclosures and vacant or abandoned properties. To begin to rehabilitate these neighborhoods, I plan to propose the TNI Residential Rehabilitation Tax Credit to provide tax incentives to families who buy and substantially renovate a foreclosed or vacant property in one of the County's TNI zones. This tax credit will not only aid in ending the foreclosure crisis we face, but it will also ensure that these neighborhoods are revived and restored with a long-term solution.
  • Right now, Maryland's youth, ages 16-24, face the highest rate of unemployment of any group in the state at over 13%. To get these youth to work in sustainable jobs and provide them with advanced training, I will propose the Maryland Youth Employment Act to provide tax incentives to businesses who higher at-risk youth in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) jobs across the state. It is critical that we work to provide these jobs to our youth if we want them to obtain the necessary skills and training to be competitive in the 21st Century economy.

Our Legislative Victories

I am proud of our legislative victories that have focused on improving our public school system, promoting critical investments in Prince George's County, protecting our environment, and reforming our criminal justice system.