Dawn Gile

Dawn Danielle Gile[1][2] (born January 1, 1980) is an American politician and attorney. She is a member of the Maryland Senate for District 33 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.[3]

Dawn Gile
Member of the Maryland Senate
from the 33rd district
Assumed office
January 11, 2023
Preceded byEdward R. Reilly
Personal details
Born (1980-01-01) January 1, 1980
Dubuque, Iowa, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseD.J. Gile
Children3
ResidenceSeverna Park, Maryland
EducationRockford University (BA), Loyola University Chicago School of Law (JD)
ProfessionAttorney
WebsiteCampaign website

Background

Gile graduated from Rockford University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and a minor in French before getting her Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2006. She worked in the Chicago area before moving to Maryland in 2007. Before becoming a state senator, she served as the president of the Military Spouse JD Network.[4]

In July 2021, Gile filed to run for the Maryland Senate in District 33, seeking to defeat state senator Edward R. Reilly,[5] who later announced his retirement. She won the Democratic primary unopposed,[6] and faced Republican state delegate Sid Saab in the general election.[7] During her campaign, she received endorsements from President of the Maryland Senate Bill Ferguson,[8] former U.S. Senate candidate Amy McGrath,[9] and former Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Housing Ardath Cade.[10]

In October 2022, Saab filed a $2 million defamation lawsuit against Gile, alleging that some of her campaign literature contained false information about him and his business, including the suggestion that he is under federal indictment. Gile, in a statement to Maryland Matters, called Saab's lawsuit a "distraction and a misuse of the legal system" and implied that his allegations were an act of desperation.[11] Saab dropped the lawsuits once the election was over.[12]

Gile defeated Saab in the general election on November 8, 2022, receiving 55.41 percent of the vote to Saab's 44.48 percent.[13] She is the first Democrat to win the state Senate seat in 50 years and the first Democrat to hold the office since Robert R. Neall.[12]

In the legislature

Gile was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 11, 2023.[14] She is a member of the Finance Committee.[15]

Personal life

Gile is a military spouse, with her husband, SGM (ret.) D.J. Gile, serving in the military for 24 years.[16] Together, they have three daughters and live in Severna Park, Maryland.[17][18]

Political positions

Gile has been described as a moderate.[10]

Education

Gile supports the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, a sweeping education reform bill passed by the legislature during the 2020 legislative session that would provide schools with $3.8 billion a year for 10 years. In January 2022, she called the Blueprint bill a "wonderful piece of legislation" but said that it did not address all the issues facing students and staff in public schools.[18]

Environment

Gile supports efforts to clean up pollution and runoff in the Chesapeake Bay and the Severn River. In January 2022, she said she supports smart development and sustainable agricultural practices to protect local ecosystems, specifically adding that she supports providing farmers with support to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from chicken farms.[18]

Social issues

During her state senate campaign, Gile sought to capitalize on the issue of abortion rights following the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.[17][19] During the 2023 legislative session, Gile defended a bill in the Maryland Senate that would create a 2024 referendum on codifying the right to abortion access into the Constitution of Maryland.[20]

Taxes

Gile supports closing loopholes in Maryland's tax code.[18] She also supports making military retiree pay exempt from state taxes.[12]

In March 2023, Gile was one of five Democrats to vote for an amendment that would have decoupled the state's fuel taxes from inflation.[21]

Electoral history
Maryland Senate District 33 Democratic primary election, 2022[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dawn D. Gile 10,881 100.00
Maryland Senate District 33 election, 2022[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dawn D. Gile 30,807 55.41
Republican Sid Saab 24,730 44.48
Write-in 60 0.11

References
  1. "MSBA Member Directory". Maryland State Bar Association. Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  2. "Dawn Danielle Gile Profile on Martindale.com". www.martindale.com. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  3. "Members – Senator Dawn Gile". mgaleg.maryland.gov. Maryland General Assembly. January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  4. "Dawn Gile, J.D., '02 Uses Liberal Arts Degree to Advocate for Military Families". rockford.edu. Rockford University. June 29, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  5. Kurtz, Josh (September 14, 2021). "In Changing Anne Arundel District, GOP Leaders Embrace Lawyer to Replace Del. Malone". Maryland Matters. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  6. Kurtz, Josh (June 24, 2022). "Maryland After Roe Is Extinguished: 'It's Going to Be a Different World'". Maryland Matters. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  7. Munro, Dana (April 18, 2022). "Del. Sid Saab to run for District 33 Senate seat held by Sen. Ed Reilly, who withdraws from race". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  8. Kurtz, Josh (August 18, 2022). "With an eye toward the next four years, Ferguson raises money aggressively for himself and his colleagues". Maryland Matters. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  9. DePuyt, Bruce; Ford, William J.; Kurtz, Josh (October 4, 2022). "Political notes: New ads, a new designation for Dan Cox, new gigs for Dereck Davis and Sheila McDonald, and more". Maryland Matters. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  10. McCord, Joel (November 1, 2022). "Defamation suit colors State Senate Race in Anne Arundel". WYPR. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  11. Kurtz, Josh (October 17, 2022). "Locked in tight Senate race, Del. Saab sues foe for defamation". Maryland Matters. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  12. Hutzell, Rick (January 10, 2023). "Democrat who won Maryland's toughest Senate race gears up for first session". Baltimore Banner. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  13. Kurtz, Josh (November 18, 2022). "Dems take two more Senate seats, win Frederick County exec race". Maryland Matters. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  14. "Dawn D. Gile, Maryland State Senator". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. July 7, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  15. Kurtz, Josh (December 21, 2022). "Ferguson picks Griffith and Feldman to head two newly-reconstituted Senate panels; reshuffles committee rosters". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  16. "Meet The Candidates: State Senate, District 33". Severna Park Voice. May 27, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  17. Cox, Erin (November 5, 2022). "In suburban Md., Dems bet abortion outrage can flip a state Senate seat". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  18. Munro, Dana (January 13, 2022). "Dawn Gile runs for District 33 state Senate seat as a Democrat, hoping to oust Ed Reilly". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  19. Kurtz, Josh (September 1, 2022). "A look at the latest fundraising in a dozen competitive legislative districts". Maryland Matters. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  20. Gaskill, Hannah (March 10, 2023). "Abortion referendum bill advances, would give voters choice in 2024 of enshrining access in state constitution". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  21. Sears, Bryan P. (March 20, 2023). "Republicans seek gas tax consistency, Democrats warn of a reckoning". Maryland Matters. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  22. "Official 2022 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections. August 24, 2022.
  23. "Official 2022 Gubernatorial General Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections. December 7, 2022.
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