Delegate Stuart Schmidt Will Earn Your Friendship

By Eva Herrick

Maryland State Delegate Stuart Schmidt is committed to taking care not only of his constituents today, but most importantly those of the next generation. As the sole Republican representative of Maryland District 33B, which covers Arundel County, this means connecting with everyone—people of all parties, creeds, ages, backgrounds, and talents. 

From church to the grocery store, Schmidt is all about engaging with the community. At the statehouse, Schmidt—a high school sports coach in his spare time—can be seen instructing baseball and golf swings to his youngest constituents on the state house floor or offering kids his business card as they shake hands, reminding them to reach out when they think of any laws they’d want him to introduce… especially fun ones like extended school recess. As Schmidt teaches his young constituents about the role of state government—and of normal, everyday citizens in directing the state government—he is similarly committed to fostering connections with his colleagues across the aisle. 

As a legislator in a superminority, building strong relationships is essential. Through his involvement with Future Caucus, Schmidt’s work as a legislator is guided by two key questions: how to stay open minded to the fullest, and how to see, hear, and understand other points of view. By getting to know his colleagues on a deeper level in order to understand where they’re coming from, Schmidt is able to focus on what is most important, which is giving Marylanders the best possible chance at a great life.

Much of Schmidt’s mission to stay open minded is driven by Maryland’s geographic and ideological diversity. From the Eastern Shore—the heart of Maryland’s agriculture industry and the home of Schmidt’s alma mater, Salisbury University—to the rural and mountainous western part of the state, Schmidt and his colleagues have the difficult task of balancing a range of regional priorities, from rural healthcare to urban education policy.

“We are like a mini United States of America here in Maryland,” Schmidt said in an interview with Future Caucus. “From stoic mountains to beautiful beaches, with the gem of the Chesapeake Bay in the middle, we have an enormous range of issues to consider.”

Given Maryland’s regional diversity, Schmidt sees his state as a potential trendsetter for the rest of the country. This position makes Schmidt’s relationship-building and bipartisan aspirations within the legislature even more important. In order to become a model for the nation, however, Schmidt believes that not only do legislators have to remain optimistic, the voters also need to know and believe in their legislators.

One way to start inspiring voters is through equitable representation. As a result of gerrymandering, especially for congressional districts, Maryland’s maps do not create a fair representation of all Marylanders. Recently, Schmidt joined a 10-person independent committee, which includes other state and local legislators, community leaders, and constituents, to address this issue and attempt to redraw a fairer map that would ensure everyone’s voices are heard. Schmidt offered a floor amendment in January 2026 to ban mid-cycle redistricting. 

Election reform has long been on Schmidt’s mind, especially as a member of Future Caucus’ Civic Innovation Fellowship, a group of young legislators committed to rebuilding trust in democratic institutions through improved civic engagement and state-specific updates to election infrastructure and voting policies. 

In particular, Schmidt is seriously concerned about unaffiliated and independent voters who have been disenfranchised as a result of closed primaries. Increased polarization has also overshadowed many kitchen-table issues spotlighting issues that are more politically divisive (and more headline-grabbing). As a result, the base of independent voters in Maryland has nearly doubled in the past 15 years, while the number of registered Republicans and Democrats has stayed stagnant.

Schmidt seeks to reconnect this “middle-ground” group to the political sphere by recentering pragmatism. Along with his Democrat colleague, Delegate Lily Qi (D-Montgomery Co.), Schmidt recently introduced a bipartisan bill to allow independent voters to select a ballot in state primaries without affiliating with a party.

“Take the R and D out of it,” Schmidt argued. “I would love to be a part of the People Party.” 

By including more Marylanders into the conversation, Schmidt hopes to gain a better understanding of—and thus a better ability to legislate on—the issues that most affect his district on a day-to-day basis. In Schmidt’s experience, 95 percent of the bills he works on are simple and bipartisan, yet it’s the other five percent that dominates the conversation and sidelines more urgent and impactful policy. “Unfortunately, we are at a place in politics where the problem is more important than the solution.” 

For Schmidt, resolving these conflicts is all about finding common ground. Often, the best place to be a more effective lawmaker is on bills that aren’t “groundbreaking, or earth-shattering legislation,” as he calls them.

Major changes like fair maps and election reforms are not the only paths Schmidt uses to better serve his constituents. Schmidt has pulled from his previous careers in the corporate world and real estate to deliver transformational housing policy for his district, including tax incentives for public-private partnerships and the revitalization of certain areas to persuade Marylanders to retire in-state.

Schmidt’s involvement in Future Caucus’ Civic Innovation cohort has also played a big role in shaping his approach to bipartisan policymaking. On a recent field trip to Alaska, Schmidt shared common experiences with other cohort members, most of whom also come from states with supermajority-superminority dynamics, and learned what other states are doing to break partisan gridlock and advance necessary legislation. After hearing what has worked in other states, Schmidt came away from the trip with a renewed sense of optimism for the future of Maryland.

Guided by his faith and family values, Schmidt approaches legislating with the belief that every member wants what is best for Marylanders, even if they approach it from different perspectives, or with a different theory of change. By pushing back against nationalized partisan tensions and fostering a sense of collective optimism with his colleagues, Schmidt fervently pursues his goal of creating a better future for all generations. 

Schmidt also pushes back against the rhetoric that the current political landscape is unprecedentedly challenging. Every administration has had challenging times, he argues, and the only truly unprecedented aspect of the present is that young people now have the greatest voice of any generation. By reframing a pessimistic narrative as an opportunity for growth, Schmidt lays the foundation for creating effective change, and is committed to using his voice to encourage Marylanders of all ages to do the same.