Maryland 21st State Senate District · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
1892–2024 (partial returns from 1876) · 38 presidential cycles · 38 with a vote-share denominator · 34 with a national benchmark
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Joe Biden2020
77.8%
39,592 votes · D+58.8 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Barack Obama, 2012 · 77.7%
Republican
Richard Nixon1972
72.9%
24,062 votes · R+47.1 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Herbert Hoover, 1928 · 72.0%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Kamala Harris2024
42,711votes
75.5% of the vote · D+54.8 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Joe Biden, 2020 · 39,592 votes
Republican
Richard Nixon1972
24,062votes
72.9% of the vote · R+47.1 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Ronald Reagan, 1984 · 20,465 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
Hillary Clinton2016
+56.4pts D vs U.S.
Place D+58.5 · U.S. D+2.1 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Kamala Harris, 2024 · +56.3 pts
Republican
Thomas E. Dewey1944
+36.3pts R vs U.S.
Place R+28.8 · U.S. D+7.5 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · William McKinley, 1896 · +35.8 pts
current representation
Current officeholders
DJim RosapepeState Senate · 21
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
U.S. House elections · 2 House
Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.
U.S. House
Each row is a county-allocated estimate of U.S. House votes for this district — county returns apportioned onto its boundary, not precinct-counted. “Vote lead” is the estimated local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.
Source · Akashic county-allocated estimate from certified county returns, House; not precinct-counted.
Year
Vote lead
Democratic
Republican
Total
2024
D
84.6%46,696
15.4%8,485
55,181
2018
D
87.6%38,391
12.4%5,440
43,831
Maryland's 21st Senate District posts a modest Democratic lean by state standards, suggesting a competitive suburban electorate that has historically resisted the double-digit margins seen in neighboring urban districts.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 58.8 points in 2020 and a Republican high of 47.1 points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 4.0 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 54.8 points.
A population of 133,402, a 31% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $101,949 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 46 and State Senate District 44.
Akashic
Political twins — state-senate districts
The state-senate districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons → · Or open the source-auditable district brief for electoral baseline, electorate, current-cycle coverage, geography, official dates, and methodology. Open campaign intelligence report →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Maryland 21st State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/24021/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Maryland 21st State Senate District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Maryland 21st State Senate District voted Democratic by 54.8 points (D+54.8), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 56,589 votes cast, 42,711 went Democratic and 11,690 went Republican.
When did Maryland 21st State Senate District last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Maryland 21st State Senate District voted Republican was 1988.
How many people live in Maryland 21st State Senate District?
Maryland 21st State Senate District has a population of 133,402 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Maryland 21st State Senate District?
Median household income in Maryland 21st State Senate District is $101,949 — above the national median of $80,734. The Maryland state median is $103,678.
What is the political history of Maryland 21st State Senate District?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Maryland 21st State Senate District from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 10 went Democratic and 28 went Republican.