Joan Cole

Joan Cole is the Democratic candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates, District 31, in the November 3, 2026 general election, after advancing from the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary.[1] She is a businesswoman and, in a Ballotpedia survey, said she is a first-generation American and first-generation college graduate.[1][2]

Cole said in a Ballotpedia survey that she was born and raised in Rochester, New York, and began her career in purchasing at a small, family-owned welding distributor there.[2] According to Ballotpedia, she earned a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Geneseo in 1988 and a graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater in 2011.[1] She said she later worked for Eastman Kodak in customer service, technical support and market research roles, spent many years as a stay-at-home mother, and worked in the travel and tourism, higher education, healthcare consulting and digital marketing industries as a contractor and employee.[2]

Cole named the rising cost of living, public safety, health care and elder care, protection of the Chesapeake Bay and education as her key campaign messages.[2] She said she supports expanding housing opportunities, traffic and pedestrian safety improvements along corridors such as Mountain Road and Ft. Smallwood Road, gun safety measures while respecting Second Amendment rights, and the Blueprint for Maryland's Future.[2]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.