Lexington Park, Md. — Adrianne Mathis, a retired educator with more than 30 years in St. Mary’s County Public Schools, filed paperwork on Sept. 24 to run for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 29B. The lifelong resident of southern St. Mary’s County, born at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, seeks to represent the area’s roughly 40,000 residents in the 2026 election, focusing on education equity, economic growth and environmental stewardship.
Mathis, a mother of three whose family traces roots back generations in the county, emphasized her commitment to amplifying local voices in Annapolis. Guided by a Catholic and Baptist upbringing, she described her campaign as rooted in fairness, faith and family values. “St. Mary’s County is my home, my heritage and my heartbeat,” Mathis said. “I am running to bring our community’s spirit, stories and needs to Annapolis with bold, balanced leadership that reflects the strength and diversity of our district.”
District 29B covers southern St. Mary’s County, including Lexington Park, California and Scotland, areas shaped by the naval base’s economic influence and the Patuxent River’s natural resources. The district elects one delegate to the 141-member House, where lawmakers shape state budgets, education policy and infrastructure spending. Incumbent Democrat Brian Crosby, serving since 2015, won re-election in 2022 with 58 percent of the vote against Republican Deb Rey. The primary election is set for June 23, 2026, followed by the general on Nov. 3, 2026.
Mathis’s priorities align with ongoing challenges in the district, where population growth strains schools, housing and roads. She plans to push for strengthening schools through equity-focused investments tied to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a 2021 state law committing $3.8 billion annually to education reforms. In St. Mary’s County, the Blueprint has driven changes like hiring five career and technical education specialists in 2024 and expanding prekindergarten access to 1,200 students, according to the county school system’s implementation plan approved by the state in September 2024. These efforts aim to raise teacher pay to $60,000 starting salaries and provide wraparound services for underserved students, addressing gaps in a district where 28 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
Expanding economic opportunities ranks high on her agenda, particularly for working families and small businesses in a county where aerospace and defense employ about 20,000 people, yet local shops face rising costs and competition. Southern St. Mary’s relies on the naval air station for stability, but small enterprises in Lexington Park struggle with labor shortages and supply chain issues post-pandemic. Mathis, who has built partnerships across Southern Maryland through community outreach, pledged support for programs like the county’s Economic Development Commission’s incentives, including tax credits for new hires and property improvements in parks such as AeroPark and Wildewood Technology Park.
Access to healthcare and affordable housing emerges as another key focus amid a housing shortage that has pushed median home prices above $400,000 in St. Mary’s County, up 15 percent since 2020. The St. Mary’s County Housing Authority manages Section 8 vouchers for 500 low-income households, but waitlists stretch two years, leaving many families in substandard rentals near the river. Healthcare gaps persist in rural pockets, where MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital in Leonardtown serves as the primary provider but reports delays in specialist care. Mathis advocates for state funding to expand subsidies and build 200 new affordable units by 2030, drawing on models from the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee.
Infrastructure improvements form the backbone of her platform, targeting roads, broadband and transportation in a growing area where U.S. Route 4 sees 30,000 daily vehicles and congestion peaks during base commutes. Broadband coverage lags in southern zones, with 10 percent of households unconnected despite state grants under the $1 billion Conduit to Classroom initiative. Mathis supports upgrades like the $50 million Route 235 widening project, completed in phases through 2025, and extending fiber optics to support remote work for 5,000 naval contractors.
Protecting the environment and county heritage rounds out her goals, centered on the Patuxent River, which borders much of the district and supports fisheries worth $100 million annually. The river, Maryland’s longest entirely within the state, faces pollution from upstream agriculture and urban runoff, prompting cleanups under the EPA’s oversight at sites like the naval air station’s former landfills. Recent easements by the Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust preserved 1,500 acres along the waterway, including farms like Cremona and Old Parlett, funded by state Rural Legacy grants. Mathis aims to bolster these protections, ensuring sustainable aquaculture and tourism that preserve the district’s maritime history dating to 1634.
Mathis’s grassroots effort emphasizes town halls and cross-party collaboration, building on her career in youth development and nonprofit partnerships. “Throughout my life, I have stood alongside our youth, our small businesses and our nonprofits,” she said. “Now, I am ready to deliver practical solutions that uplift every corner of District 29B.” She recently completed Leadership Southern Maryland’s 2025 class, honing skills in regional advocacy.
The campaign invites input through events listed on her site. Residents can visit https://mathisformd.com/ for details, follow @mathisformaryland on Instagram or join Adrianne Mathis for Maryland on Facebook. “Annapolis needs to hear us loud and clear,” Mathis said. “With inclusive leadership and a clear vision, I will continue to fight for our families, our businesses and our future.”
District 29B’s representation traces to the 1972 redistricting that equalized populations under the state constitution, shifting from county-based seats to subdistricts blending urban and rural voters. In St. Mary’s, this has amplified calls for balanced growth, as the county’s population climbed 10 percent to 115,000 since 2020. Mathis enters a competitive field where Democrats hold a 55-45 edge, per recent voter rolls, but independents — 15 percent of the electorate — often decide races.
Her bid reflects broader trends in Southern Maryland, where educators like Mathis leverage classroom experience to tackle policy. With the naval base employing one in four workers, her focus on infrastructure and environment could resonate amid federal reviews of cleanup sites like Webster Outlying Field, where the Navy monitors groundwater for contaminants.
As the 2026 cycle heats up, Mathis positions herself as a bridge between local needs and state resources, from Blueprint-funded career ladders to broadband expansions under the federal infrastructure law delivering $7 billion to Maryland. Voters in Lexington Park and along the Patuxent stand to gain from her push for practical, community-driven change.