Johnny Ray Salling (born October 31, 1961) is an American politician from Maryland from the Republican Party. He is currently serving as a Maryland State Senator representing District 6, which covers southeast Baltimore County,[1] including Dundalk, Essex and Rosedale.
Johnny Ray Salling | |
|---|---|
 Salling in 2017 | |
| Member of the Maryland Senate from the 6th district | |
| Assumed office January 14, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Norman R. Stone Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Johnny Ray Salling October 31, 1961 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Sparrows Point High School |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1979–1981 |
Early life and career
editSalling was born in Baltimore, Maryland on October 31, 1961, where he graduated from Sparrows Point High School. In 1979, he joined the United States Army, serving as a combat engineer until 1981. Upon his return to the United States, he worked as a steel worker for LaFarge of North America at the Bethlehem Steel Mill in Sparrows Point, Maryland for more than 30 years,[1] where he gained experience as a union representative for the United Steelworkers of America union.[2]
In September 2013, Salling filed to run for Maryland Senate,[3] seeking to succeed Democratic state senator Norman Stone, who had announced his retirement from the General Assembly. He says that the closing of the Sparrows Point mill in 2012 moved him to run for public office.[4] Stone endorsed his challenger, state delegate Johnny Olszewski, during the general election.[5] Salling defeated Olszewski in the general election, garnering 47.9 percent of the vote compared to Olszewski's 44.7 percent.[6]
In the legislature
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Salling was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 14, 2015. He was a member of the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee from 2015 to 2019, afterwards serving as a member of the Budget and Taxation Committee.[1] In April 2017, Salling joined the Reform on Tap task force, which was led by Comptroller Peter Franchot and sought to reform the state's regulations on the production and distribution of beer in the state.[7]
In July 2019, Salling responded to a tweet about a request for an ethics investigation into U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar with "Get rid of this illegal know!!!!!" The Council on American–Islamic Relations called on Salling to apologize for the tweet or to resign. He deleted the tweet after speaking to The Baltimore Sun, denying having made the tweet and suggesting that he may have been hacked.[8][9]
2020 House of Representatives election campaign
editIn August 2019, Salling announced his candidacy for Maryland's 2nd congressional district in the 2020 elections, seeking to take on incumbent Democrat Dutch Ruppersberger. He did not have to give up his state senate seat to run for Congress, as he was not up for reelection until 2022.[10] Salling narrowly won the Republican nomination, earning 19.1 percent of the vote in the primary election.[11] He was defeated by Ruppersberger in the general election, receiving 33 percent of the vote.[12][13]
Political positions
editMaryland Matters has described Salling as a social conservative, but notes that he occasionally votes with Democrats on bills involving workers' rights and opportunities.[14]
Environment
editIn 2018, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters gave Salling a score of 17 percent on its annual legislative scorecard – the lowest score in the Maryland Senate.[15]
During a debate on a sweeping climate action bill in March 2021, Salling introduced an amendment that would lower the bill's pollution reduction goal from 60 percent to 50 percent, contending that it was too ambitious. The amendment was rejected by a vote of 15-31.[16]
Immigration
editSalling denounced an executive order issued by Baltimore County executive Kevin Kamenetz in April 2017 that formalized police policy on undocumented immigrants in the county, calling it "dangerous".[17]
Marijuana
editSalling says that he does not agree with the legalization of recreational marijuana, but he does accept that cannabis does have some medicinal benefits.[18]
Policing
editSalling supports providing police departments with additional funding and training and disagrees with calls to defund police departments and invest in community social services.[2]
Transportation
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In March 2024, following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, Salling and state senator Bryan Simonaire introduced a bill that would allow the governor to declare a year-long state of emergency after damage to critical infrastructure, though it would eliminate the authority to seize private property for government use, as now allowed under a state of emergency.[19] The bill was withdrawn by Simonaire following discussions with the Moore administration.[20]
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Johnny Ray Salling | 2,669 | 100.0 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Johnny Ray Salling | 14,916 | 47.7 | |
| Democratic | Johnny Olszewski | 14,065 | 44.9 | |
| Independent | Scott M. Collier | 2,285 | 7.3 | |
| Write-in | 26 | 0.1 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Johnny Ray Salling (incumbent) | 19,511 | 55.3 | |
| Democratic | Buddy Staigerwald | 14,108 | 40.0 | |
| Independent | Scott M. Collier | 1,631 | 4.6 | |
| Write-in | 23 | 0.1 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Johnny Ray Salling | 5,942 | 19.1 | |
| Republican | Genevieve Morris | 5,134 | 16.5 | |
| Republican | Tim Fazenbaker | 5,123 | 16.4 | |
| Republican | Rick Impallaria | 5,061 | 16.2 | |
| Republican | Jim Simpson | 4,764 | 15.3 | |
| Republican | Scott M. Collier | 3,564 | 11.4 | |
| Republican | Blaine Taylor | 1,562 | 5.0 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dutch Ruppersberger (incumbent) | 224,836 | 67.7 | |
| Republican | Johnny Ray Salling | 106,355 | 32.0 | |
| Write-in | 835 | 0.3 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Johnny Ray Salling (incumbent) | 18,278 | 61.2 | |
| Democratic | Cory D. Edwards | 11,563 | 38.7 | |
| Write-in | 44 | 0.2 | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c "Johnny Ray Salling, Maryland State Senator". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. September 11, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Price, Lilly (October 14, 2020). "Maryland's 2nd District: State Sen. Johnny Salling challenges incumbent Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger for seat in Congress". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ "2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election State Candidates List". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Lee, John (October 29, 2014). "The Ghost Of Sparrows Point Hovers Over A Hotly Contested Senate Race". WYPR. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Knezevich, Alison (September 27, 2014). "Three running to replace Stone in Senate". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Tully, Meg (November 5, 2014). "Assembly roundup: GOP gains 2 senators, 7 delegates for a record 50 House members". MarylandReporter.com. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Kurtz, Josh (April 28, 2017). "Political Notes From All Over". Maryland Matters. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Wood, Pamela (August 26, 2019). "Baltimore County senator denies, deletes tweet calling Rep. Ilhan Omar 'illegal'". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Kopp, Emily (August 27, 2019). "Republican congressional candidate denies tweet calling Rep. Ilhan Omar 'illegal'". Roll Call. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Wood, Pamela (August 21, 2019). "Baltimore County state Sen. Salling to seek GOP nomination to challenge Democratic Rep. Ruppersberger". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Gates, Bill (June 15, 2020). "Salling wins close primary race to challenge incumbent Ruppersberger". Dundalk Eagle. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Gates, Bill (November 4, 2020). "Ruppersberger defeats Salling to retain seat in House". Dundalk Eagle. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ "Official 2020 Presidential Primary Election results for Representative in Congress". Maryland State Board of Elections. December 4, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ Kurtz, Josh; Sequeira, Robbie (April 1, 2024). "Working-class people rarely have a seat 'at the legislative table' in state capitols". Maryland Matters. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ Kurtz, Josh (September 18, 2018). "LCV Scores Show Good, Bad and Ugly of Lawmakers' Support for Green Issues". Maryland Matters. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Shwe, Elizabeth (March 10, 2021). "Md. Senate Advances Far-Reaching Climate Bill". Maryland Matters. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ DeCarlo, Gianna (April 12, 2017). "Local legislators react to Kamenetz's executive order on immigration". Dundalk Eagle. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Rodman, Nicole (July 19, 2017). "Medical cannabis dispensary planned for Dundalk". Dundalk Eagle. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Sears, Bryan P.; Ford, William J. (March 28, 2024). "Republicans propose changes to state of emergency order following bridge collapse". Maryland Matters. Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Wood, Pamela (April 2, 2024). "How lawmakers plan to help workers, businesses affected by Baltimore port disruptions". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections.
- ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial General Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections.
- ^ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial General Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections.
- ^ "Official 2020 Presidential Primary Election results for Representative in Congress". Maryland State Board of Elections.
- ^ "Official 2020 Presidential General Election results for Representative in Congress". Maryland State Board of Elections.
- ^ "Official 2022 Gubernatorial General Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections.