Keenon James

Keenon James is the Democratic nominee for the Maryland House of Delegates, District 23 (3 seats), in the November 3, 2026 general election.[1][2] A nonprofit director by career experience, he says in a Ballotpedia survey that he has worked on criminal justice and policing policy and that his campaign centers on public safety, schools and housing.[2][3]

Keenon James says in a Ballotpedia survey that he was raised in a working-class family in Fort Washington, Maryland, and attended Prince George's County public schools.[3] He graduated from Bishop McNamara High School and earned a bachelor's degree from North Carolina Central University in 2003.[2] According to his survey responses, he led the Policing Practices and Accountability Initiative at the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services under President Obama, served as deputy director of both the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and most recently was vice chair of the county's Police Accountability Board.[3]

James ran in the 2022 Democratic primary for the same House of Delegates district and did not advance to the general election.[2] In the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary he finished third with 17.9% of the vote, which placed him among the three nominees.[2] He lists as campaign priorities safer communities and reducing gun violence, support for public schools through the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, and homeownership and small-business growth.[3] James describes himself as a gun violence survivor, saying his brother was killed in Takoma Park in 1993.[3]

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