William "Bill" Folden

William Folden

Republican Party

Maryland State Senate District 4

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Michael Hough

Prior offices

Maryland House of Delegates District 3B (Historical)

Successor: Ken Kerr

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Compensation

Base salary

$54,437/year

Per diem

$115/day for lodging. $63/day for meals

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

Associate

Frederick Community College, 1996

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Personal

Birthplace

Hagerstown, Md.

Religion

Baptist Christian

Contact

Official website

Personal Facebook

William Folden (Republican Party) (also known as Bill) is a member of the Maryland State Senate, representing District 4. He assumed office on January 11, 2023. His current term ends on January 13, 2027.

Folden (Republican Party) ran for election to the Maryland State Senate to represent District 4. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Folden also ran for election to the Maryland House of Delegates to represent District 4. He did not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on July 19, 2022.

Folden completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

William Folden was born in Hagerstown, Maryland. Folden served in the U.S. Army. He earned an A.A. in criminal justice from Frederick Community College in 1996. Folden has served as the president of the "Brunswick Junior Railroaders" Youth Football, Cheerleading and Lacrosse Organization.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes yearly updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org

2023-2024

Folden was assigned to the following committees:

• Judicial Proceedings Committee
• Children, Youth, and Families Committee
• Joint Committee on Federal Relations (decommissioned)

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Folden served on the following committees:

Maryland committee assignments, 2015
• Environment and Transportation

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

State Senate

See also: Maryland State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Maryland State Senate District 4

William Folden defeated Carleah Summers in the general election for Maryland State Senate District 4 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		William Folden (R)	57.5	32,554
		Carleah Summers (D)	42.4	23,967
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	60

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 56,581
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Maryland State Senate District 4

Carleah Summers advanced from the Democratic primary for Maryland State Senate District 4 on July 19, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carleah Summers	100.0	8,462

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,462
= 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 4

William Folden defeated Stephen Barrett in the Republican primary for Maryland State Senate District 4 on July 19, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		William Folden	71.8	9,060
		Stephen Barrett	28.2	3,553

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,613
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jesse Pippy (R)

State House

See also: Maryland House of Delegates elections, 2022

General election

General election for Maryland House of Delegates District 4 (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Maryland House of Delegates District 4 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jesse Pippy (R)	19.1	30,670
✔		April Fleming Miller (R)	18.5	29,717
✔		Barrie Ciliberti (R)	18.5	29,705
		Andrew Duck (D)	15.2	24,489
		Millicent Hall (D)	14.5	23,361
	Submit photo	Brandon Duck (D)	14.1	22,628
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	93

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 160,663
= 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 4 (3 seats)

Andrew Duck, Millicent Hall, and Brandon Duck advanced from the Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 4 on July 19, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andrew Duck	34.3	7,764
✔		Millicent Hall	34.1	7,703
✔	Submit photo	Brandon Duck	31.6	7,137

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 22,604
= 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 House of Delegates District 4 (3 seats)

Incumbent Jesse Pippy, April Fleming Miller, and incumbent Barrie Ciliberti defeated Heath Barnes in the Republican primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 4 on July 19, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jesse Pippy	33.4	10,450
✔		April Fleming Miller	25.8	8,055
✔		Barrie Ciliberti	23.5	7,361
		Heath Barnes	17.3	5,398

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 31,264
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• William Folden (R)
• Colt Black (R)

2018

See also: Maryland House of Delegates elections, 2018

General election

General election for Maryland House of Delegates District 3B (Historical)

Ken Kerr defeated incumbent William Folden in the general election for Maryland House of Delegates District 3B (Historical) on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ken Kerr (D)	52.4	10,091
		William Folden (R)	47.6	9,168
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	13

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,272
= 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 3B (Historical)

Ken Kerr advanced from the Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 3B (Historical) on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ken Kerr	100.0	2,873

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 2,873
= 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 House of Delegates District 3B (Historical)

Incumbent William Folden advanced from the Republican primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 3B (Historical) on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		William Folden	100.0	2,448

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 2,448
= 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

See also: Maryland House of Delegates elections, 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. Stephen Slater was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while William "Bill" Folden defeated Darren Shay Wigfield in the Republican primary. Folden defeated Slater in the general election.

Maryland House of Delegates District 3B, General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	William "Bill" Folden	56.4%	7,522
	Democratic	Stephen Slater	43.6%	5,818
Total Votes				13,340

Maryland House of Delegates, District 3B Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
William "Bill" Folden	53.8%	1,566
Darren Shay Wigfield	46.2%	1,344
Total Votes		2,910

Endorsements

In 2014, Folden's endorsements included:

• Maryland Right to Life
• Frederick County Deputy Sheriffs Lodge #102

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

William Folden completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Folden's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a life-long Frederick County resident. I served as a US Army Sniper from 1989-2001. I have served as a police officer and Deputy Sheriff in Frederick County, MD for over 28 years. I have coached youth football and basketball for 15+ years and ran the Brunswick Junior Railroaders Youth Football, Cheerleading and LAX for 10 years as President. I was elected in 2014 to the Maryland House of Delegates, serving Frederick County District 3B from 2015-2019.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Improve I-270 with additional lanes.
• Abolish Critical Race Theory in our schools and support school choice!
• Support our First Responders and Law Enforcement #BACKTHEBLUE

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a military veteran and police officer for over 28 years, I am passionate about supporting our law enforcement and Sheriff in the performance of their duties, especially after the efforts of woke democrats "Villianizing" the men and women of law enforcement to advance their progressive agendas of less penalties for criminals! These reckless acts have endangered our law-abiding citizens to have an increased chance to be victimized by the repeat offenders who serve no jail time for serious criminal acts, as well as the Legislature, through their over-reaching attempts to take away more of YOUR RIGHTS!!

I am endorsed by the Maryland Farm Bureau, the Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police, the Frederick County Career Firefighters, Stand for Health Freedom and have received an 'A'q rating from the NRA as a Lifetime Member and member of VFW.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

William Folden did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2014

Folden's website highlighted the following campaign themes:

“

I will work to bring real-world knowledge to foster community-driven government. I will push for greater transparency in government and additional citizen outreach through community forums. I will serve as a firm and balanced voice against additional taxes and fees that discourage economic development. I will collaborate with the county council to establish an APFO for Fire/Rescue and Police Service. I will collaborate and create relationships throughout our State that will benefit families on a daily basis, including a renewed focus on the widening of I-270 to Frederick.

”

Campaign finance summary

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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.

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William Folden campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	Maryland State Senate District 4	Won general	$83,667	$98,806
2018	Maryland House of Delegates District 3B (Historical)	Lost general	$88,508	N/A**
2014	Not Found	Won	$15,880	N/A**
Grand total			$188,056	$98,806
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Maryland

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 editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].

In 2024, the Maryland State Legislature was in session from January 10 to April 8. Maryland Free Enterprise Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Maryland Humane Scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to animal issues. Maryland League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. Maryland Legislative Coalition Legislators are scored their voting record, committee efficiency, and individual initiative. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

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. Maryland Free Enterprise Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Maryland Humane Scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to animal issues. Maryland League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. Maryland Legislative Coalition Legislators are scored their voting record, committee efficiency, and individual initiative.

2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].

In 2018, the Maryland General Assembly was in session from January 10 through April 9. Maryland Business for Responsive Government Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Maryland League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. Maryland Public Interest Research Group Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to consumer interests. NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to reproductive health. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2017

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show].

In 2017, the Maryland General Assembly was in session from January 11 through April 10. Food and Water Watch Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues. Maryland Business for Responsive Government Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Maryland League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. Maryland Public Interest Research Group Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to consumer interests. Maryland State Education Association Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to education. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2016

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show].

In 2016, the Maryland General Assembly was in session from January 13 through April 11. Maryland Business for Responsive Government Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Maryland League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. Maryland Right to Life Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2015

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show].

In 2015, the Maryland General Assembly was in session from January 14 through April 13. Maryland Business for Responsive Government Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business and jobs in Maryland. Maryland League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

See also

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External links

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Officeholder

Maryland State Senate District 4

Website

Personal

Facebook

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Michael Hough (R)	Maryland State Senate District 4 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Maryland House of Delegates District 3B (Historical) -2019	Succeeded by Ken Kerr (D)

[show]

Current members of the Maryland State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:William Ferguson

Majority Leader:Guy Guzzone

Minority Leader:Stephen Hershey

Senators

District 1

Mike McKay (R)

District 2

Paul Corderman (R)

District 3

Karen Young (D)

District 4

William Folden (R)

District 5

Justin Ready (R)

District 6

Johnny Salling (R)

District 7

J.B. Jennings (R)

District 8

Carl Jackson (D)

District 9

Katie Hester (D)

District 10

Benjamin Brooks (D)

District 11

Shelly Hettleman (D)

District 12

Clarence Lam (D)

District 13

Guy Guzzone (D)

District 14

Craig Zucker (D)

District 15

Brian Feldman (D)

District 16

Sara Love (D)

District 17

Cheryl Kagan (D)

District 18

Jeff Waldstreicher (D)

District 19

Benjamin Kramer (D)

District 20

Will Smith (D)

District 21

Jim Rosapepe (D)

District 22

Alonzo Washington (D)

District 23

Ron Watson (D)

District 24

Joanne Benson (D)

District 25

Nick Charles (D)

District 26

C. Muse (D)

District 27

Michael Jackson (D)

District 28

Arthur Ellis (D)

District 29

Jack Bailey (R)

District 30

Shaneka Henson (D)

District 31

Bryan Simonaire (R)

District 32

Pamela Beidle (D)

District 33

Dawn Gile (D)

District 34

Mary-Dulany James (D)

District 35

Jason Gallion (R)

District 36

Stephen Hershey (R)

District 37

Johnny Mautz (R)

District 38

Mary Carozza (R)

District 39

Nancy King (D)

District 40

Antonio Hayes (D)

District 41

Dalya Attar (D)

District 42

Chris West (R)

District 43

Mary Washington (D)

District 44

Charles Sydnor (D)

District 45

Cory McCray (D)

District 46

William Ferguson (D)

District 47

Malcolm Augustine (D)

Democratic Party (34)

Republican Party (13)