Rushern Baker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rushern Baker
7th Executive of Prince George's County
In office December 6, 2010 – December 3, 2018
Preceded by	Jack B. Johnson
Succeeded by	Angela Alsobrooks
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 22B district
In office August 11, 1994 – January 8, 2003
Appointed by	William Donald Schaefer
Preceded by	Paul G. Pinsky
Succeeded by	Tawanna P. Gaines Anne Healey Justin Ross
Personal details
Born	Rushern Leslie Baker III (1958-10-24) October 24, 1958 (age 66) Valdosta, Georgia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Christa Beverly ​ (died 2021)​
Children	3, including Rushern IV
Education	Howard University (BA, JD)
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1987–2001
Rank	Captain
Unit	J.A.G. Corps

Rushern Leslie Baker III (born October 24, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician. He served as the 7th county executive for Prince George's County, Maryland. This means he was the top leader for the county government from 2010 to 2018. Before that, he was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1994 to 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Baker also ran for governor of Maryland in 2018 and 2022.

Early Life and School Days

Rushern Baker was born in Valdosta, Georgia, on October 24, 1958. His father was an officer in the United States Army Special Forces. His mother worked as a nurse's aide. Because his father was in the Army, Baker moved around a lot when he was a kid. This included living in Okinawa, Japan, before his family settled in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Baker has said that he sometimes struggled with school. He went to many different schools growing up. He played football in high school as a running back and defensive back. After high school, Baker went to Howard University. He earned his first degree in history in 1982. Then, he got his law degree in 1986. He was also part of the student government there. After college, Baker joined the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps. This is a group of lawyers in the Army. He served from 1987 to 2001 and became a captain.

Political Career and Public Service

After law school, Baker worked for U.S. Senator John Kerry for a year. He also worked for the District of Columbia's housing department. Later, he had his own law firm.

Baker was chosen as a delegate for the Democratic National Convention many times. This is a big meeting where the Democratic Party chooses its candidate for president.

Serving in the Maryland House of Delegates

Baker was chosen to join the Maryland House of Delegates in 1994. This is part of Maryland's state government that makes laws. He was sworn in on August 11, 1994. He worked on important committees, like the Judiciary Committee and the Appropriations Committee. He was also a member of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. He led the group of delegates from Prince George's County from 1999 to 2003.

During his time as a delegate, Baker took stands on many issues. He did not support using state money for new football stadiums. He also opposed making English the official state language. He supported laws to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation. He also wanted to make sure public documents were available in Spanish.

Leading Prince George's County

Rushern Baker ran for Prince George's County Executive several times. He finally won the election in 2010. He ran unopposed in the general election that year. In 2014, he ran for re-election and won again without opposition.

Key Actions as County Executive

Baker became the Prince George's County Executive on December 6, 2010. During his time in office, he worked hard to bring new businesses to the county. He also made it easier for businesses to get permits. These changes helped the county's economy grow a lot. Prince George's County saw more job growth than other parts of the state. It also had extra money in its budget.

Baker helped start many big projects in the county. These included the MGM National Harbor casino and a new hospital. He also supported the Purple Line transit line. He worked to improve the county's rules about ethics in government. He also tried to make changes to the school system.

Baker faced some challenges with the school system. He appointed Kevin Maxwell as the school superintendent. Under Maxwell, the school system lost some federal money for a program called Head Start. This happened because of problems with how teachers treated students. There were also concerns about student grades being changed. Baker defended Maxwell, pointing out that more students joined the school system and new programs were added.

Baker also supported legalizing same-sex marriage in Maryland in 2012.

Running for Governor

2018 Governor Campaign

On June 21, 2017, Baker announced he would run for governor of Maryland in 2018. He wanted to challenge the current governor, Larry Hogan. Baker talked about his success with the economy and crime in Prince George's County. He supported raising the minimum wage and increasing money for community colleges. Many important politicians supported his campaign.

Baker did not win the Democratic primary election in June 2018. He came in second place. After his loss, he helped the winning candidate, Ben Jealous, in the main election.

2022 Governor Campaign

Baker decided to run for governor again in 2022. He announced his campaign on April 8, 2021. He had a plan to deal with crime and policing. He also spoke out about important court cases.

However, Baker's campaign did not get as much support this time. He stopped his campaign on June 10, 2022.

After Being County Executive

Since leaving office, Baker has run his own consulting company. He was also appointed to the University of Maryland Medical System board. He worked with the University of Maryland, College Park to create a leadership program for elected officials.

In December 2024, Baker said he was interested in running for Prince George's County Executive again. This was after the current county executive, Angela Alsobrooks, resigned. He officially entered the race on December 10, 2024.

Personal Life and Family

Rushern Baker met his wife, Christa Beverly, at Howard University in 1978. They lived in Cheverly, Maryland, and raised three children. One of their sons, Rushern Baker IV, helped with his father's 2022 governor campaign.

In 2010, Baker's wife, Christa, was diagnosed with Early-onset Alzheimer's disease. This is a serious brain disease. The family decided to talk about her illness publicly in 2012. They wanted to help people learn more about Alzheimer's and support research. Baker is an active member of the Alzheimer's Association. In 2016, he got a tattoo of her initials and the Alzheimer's Association logo. Christa passed away from Alzheimer's disease on September 18, 2021.

In March 2024, Baker received the Thomas Kennedy Award from the Maryland House of Delegates.

Images for kids

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  Baker at the construction of MGM National Harbor, 2015

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  2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary election results by county: