Mark S. Chang

Mark Soo Chang (born July 9, 1976) is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 32 since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he unsuccessfully ran in the 2024 U.S. House of Representatives election in Maryland's 3rd congressional district, losing to state senator Sarah Elfreth in the Democratic primary.

Early life and education
Chang was born on July 9, 1976, in Glen Burnie, Maryland. He was one of three children born to Hak Jin Chang, who was a small business owner during the 1980s and 1990s, and his wife, who worked at Annapolis General Hospital and who died when Chang was eleven years old. He is a first-generation Korean-American, with his parents having moved to the United States from South Korea in 1975.

Chang graduated from Glen Burnie High School and later attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and graduated cum laude in 1999. In 2010, Chang attended Loyola University Maryland, where he earned a Master of Business Administration degree.

Political career
Chang entered politics in 2003 by becoming a member of the Anne Arundel County Republican Central Committee. In 2006, he ran for the Maryland House of Delegates as a Republican and was defeated in the general election with 17.1 percent of the vote. After his defeat, Chang went to work as a community liaison for Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold. In 2012, he switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democratic. Chang was replaced by County Executive Laura Neuman after she took office following Leopold's corruption conviction and subsequent resignation, and he subsequently worked as a legislative aide to state senator James E. DeGrange Sr.

In 2014, Chang again ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 32, this time as a Democrat. He won the general election in November 2014, becoming the first Korean-American elected to the Maryland General Assembly from Anne Arundel County, and the first in the state alongside state delegate-elect David Moon.

In the legislature
Chang was sworn into the House of Delegates on January 14, 2015. He has been a member of the Appropriations Committee during his entire tenure, and became the committee's vice chair in 2021.

On December 5, 2023, Chang announced that he would run for Congress in Maryland's 3rd congressional district, seeking to succeed retiring U.S. Representative John Sarbanes. He was defeated in the Democratic primary election by state senator Sarah Elfreth on May 14, 2024, placing fifth with 5.0 percent of the vote.

Crime
During the 2018 legislative session, Chang introduced legislation to make human trafficking a felony offense.

In March 2021, Chang expressed concern following the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings and later attended and spoke at a rally at the Lincoln Memorial honoring the victims.

Development initiatives
During the 2016 legislative session, Chang voted to override Governor Larry Hogan's veto on a bill to provide $2 million toward Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts renovations.

In 2019, Chang introduced legislation to fund developments at the Laurel Park.

Social issues
In January 2016, Chang voted against overriding Governor Larry Hogan's veto on a bill restoring voting rights for felons on parole.

During the 2019 legislative session and following incidents involving nooses on school campuses in 2018, Chang introduced a bill that would ban the use of nooses or swastikas to "threaten or intimidate someone". The bill was reintroduced in 2020, during which it passed and became law.