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William Ferguson IV
2011 - Present
2027
14
William Ferguson IV (Democratic Party) is a member of the Maryland State Senate, representing District 46. He assumed office on January 12, 2011. His current term ends on January 13, 2027.
Ferguson (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Maryland State Senate to represent District 46. He declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on June 23, 2026.[source]
Ferguson was voted to succeed Sen. Thomas Miller Jr. as the state Senate president on January 8, 2020.[1]
Ferguson was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 1983.[2] He earned his bachelor's in political science and economics in 2005, his master's in teaching from The Johns Hopkins University School of Education in 2007, and his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2010.[2]
In his early career, he worked as a social studies teacher. From 2012 to 2020, he was the director of reform initiatives at Johns Hopkins University.[3] He later worked for America Achieves, a nonprofit that said it "incubates and supports large-scale initiatives to advance economic opportunity, mobility, and pathways to good, local jobs and careers - including for low-income and other underserved populations and communities."[4][3] In 2024, he became general counsel for a solar energy company called CI Renewables.[5]
Ferguson first ran for state senate in 2010, when he defeated incumbent George Della by two points in the Democratic primary before winning the general election unopposed. His election made him Maryland's youngest ever state senator, with the nickname "Baby Senator."[6][7]
When he was elected senate president, Ferguson said, "We are so much more alike than we are different," adding, "This is why each and every one of us had that spark, that moment either with a loved one or a friend where you decided tomorrow will be better than today, and I want to be a part of making it so."[8]
Ahead of the 2025 legislative session, Ferguson said the legislature would need to close a $2.7 billion budget gap, saying, "Cuts are coming."Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title Ferguson also said increasing taxes was "not off the table. We’re going to try to live within our means first, and then if we can’t get there fully, we’ll have to explore different revenue measures."Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Ferguson was assigned to the following committees:
- Executive Nominations Committee
- Rules Committee
- Legislative Ethics Committee
- Legislative Policy Committee (decommissioned), Co-Chair
2021-2022
Ferguson was assigned to the following committees:
- Legislative Policy Committee (decommissioned), Co-chair
- Executive Nominations Committee
- Rules Committee
- Investigation Committee, Senate chair
2019-2020
Ferguson was assigned to the following committees:
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Ferguson served on the following committees:
| Maryland committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Budget & Taxation |
| • Children, Youth, and Families |
| • Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Biotechnology |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Ferguson served on these committees:
| Maryland committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Children, Youth, and Families |
| • Education, Health & Environmental Affairs |
| • Welfare Reform |
Note: Ferguson also served on the Subcommittee on Education, the Subcommittee on Environment and the Subcommittee on Labor, Licensing, and Regulation.
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
2026
See also: Maryland State Senate elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on June 23, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Maryland State Senate District 46
Incumbent William Ferguson IV is running in the Democratic primary for Maryland State Senate District 46 on June 23, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | William Ferguson IV | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
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2022
See also: Maryland State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Maryland State Senate District 46
Incumbent William Ferguson IV defeated Emmanuel Digman in the general election for Maryland State Senate District 46 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | William Ferguson IV (D) | 84.6 | 24,977 |
 | Emmanuel Digman (R) | 15.2 | 4,486 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 50 | ||
| Total votes: 29,513 | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 46
Incumbent William Ferguson IV advanced from the Democratic primary for Maryland State Senate District 46 on July 19, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | William Ferguson IV | 100.0 | 11,581 |
| Total votes: 11,581 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Maryland State Senate District 46
Emmanuel Digman advanced from the Republican primary for Maryland State Senate District 46 on July 19, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Emmanuel Digman | 100.0 | 905 |
| Total votes: 905 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2018
- See also: Maryland State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Maryland State Senate District 46
Incumbent William Ferguson IV defeated Christine Digman in the general election for Maryland State Senate District 46 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | William Ferguson IV (D) | 78.2 | 26,203 |
| Christine Digman (R) | 21.6 | 7,238 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 60 | ||
| Total votes: 33,501 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 46
Incumbent William Ferguson IV advanced from the Democratic primary for Maryland State Senate District 46 on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | William Ferguson IV | 100.0 | 9,572 |
| Total votes: 9,572 | |||
| = 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 46
Christine Digman advanced from the Republican primary for Maryland State Senate District 46 on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Christine Digman | 100.0 | 774 | |
| Total votes: 774 | |||
| = 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 State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Maryland State Senate 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. Incumbent Bill Ferguson defeated Mateen Zar in the Democratic primary. Ferguson had no ballot competition in the general election; Zar continued as a write-in candidate.[9][10][11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Bill Ferguson Incumbent |
99.6% | 17,320 | |
| Democratic | Mateen Zar (write-in) | 0.4% | 77 | |
| Total Votes | 17,397 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Bill Ferguson Incumbent |
89.8% | 7,282 |
| Mateen Zar | 10.2% | 829 |
| Total Votes | 8,111 | |
2010
- See also: Maryland State Senate elections, 2010
Ferguson was unopposed in the November 2 general election.[12]
In the September 14th primary election, Ferguson defeated Democratic incumbent George Della. Della has represented District 46 since 1982.[13]
Across the country in 2010, state senate elections were held in 43 states. 1,167 state senate seats were at stake. In all 1,167 state senate districts with an election in 2010, only 19 challengers (12 Democrats and 7 Republicans) defeated an incumbent state senator. Ferguson was one of the 12 Democratic challengers who defeated an incumbent Democratic state senator.
| Maryland State Senate, District 46 (2010) General Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Bill Ferguson (D)
|
19,126 | 100% | ||
| Maryland State Senate, District 46- Democratic Primary (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Bill Ferguson
|
5,150 | 58.6% | ||
| George Della | 3,641 | 41.4% | ||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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2022
William Ferguson IV did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
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.
Scorecards
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]. |
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In 2024, the Maryland State Legislature was in session from January 10 to April 8.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Maryland State Legislature was in session from January 11 to April 10.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Maryland State Legislature was in session from January 12 to April 11.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Maryland State Legislature was in session from January 13 to April 12.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Maryland State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 18.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Maryland General Assembly was in session from January 9 through April 8.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Maryland General Assembly was in session from January 10 through April 9.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Maryland General Assembly was in session from January 11 through April 10.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Maryland General Assembly was in session from January 13 through April 11.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Maryland General Assembly was in session from January 14 through April 13.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Maryland General Assembly was in session from January 8 to April 7.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Maryland General Assembly was in session from January 9 to April 8.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Ferguson has a wife, Lea.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ WBALTV 11, "Mike Miller to step down as Senate president due to health," October 24, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Maryland State Archives, "Senate President, accessed March 12, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Linkedin, "Bill Ferguson," accessed March 12, 2025
- ↑ Linkedin, "America Achieves," accessed March 12, 2025
- ↑ Maryland Matters, "Senate president takes job with solar energy company," June 17, 2024
- ↑ Baltimore Magazine, "Bill Ferguson (Baltimore ’05): Making Sure Education is Centered in Annapolis," accessed March 12, 2025
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Miller says he’ll step down as Maryland Senate president; Democrats pick Baltimore’s Bill Ferguson to replace him," October 25, 2019
- ↑ Baltimore Business Journal, "Baltimore's Bill Ferguson officially takes over as Maryland Senate president," January 8, 2020
- ↑ Maryland Secretary of State, "Official primary election candidate list," accessed March 3, 2014
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for State Senate," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "2014 Official General Election Results," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "2010 General Election Official Results," accessed March 24, 2014
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2010 Gubernatorial Primary Election Results," accessed March 24, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Maryland State Senate District 46 2011-Present |
Succeeded by - |
