Chris Tomlinson (politician)

Tomlinson graduated from North Carroll High School in 2004, and later attended Towson University, where he earned a Bachelor of Social Science degree in electronic media and film in 2009.^[1]

Tomlinson first got involved in politics in 2015 when he unsuccessfully ran for the mayor of Manchester, Maryland. His candidacy was challenged by the town's Board of Supervisors of Elections, who denied his certification after arguing that he did not live in the town when he filed to run for mayor. Tomlinson challenged the board's decision, claiming that he had lived in the town since April 2014.^[4] The board reversed its decision a few days later, allowing Tomlinson to run for mayor.^[5] Tomlinson was defeated in the mayoral election by incumbent mayor Ryan Warner, receiving 27.3 percent of the vote.^[6]

In 2017, Tomlinson began working in the Maryland Transit Administration, eventually becoming a manager in the agency's Office of State Procurement.^[7] In November 2017, Tomlinson was appointed to the Carroll County Republican Central Committee.^[8]

In 2022, Tomlinson filed to run for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 5.^[9] During the primary, he ran on a ticket with state Senator Justin Ready and state Delegate April Rose.^[10] Tomlinson won the Republican primary election on July 19, 2022, coming in second place behind Rose.^[11] He ran unopposed in the general election.^[7]

Tomlinson was sworn in on January 11, 2023.^[12] He is a member of the House Judiciary Committee.^[13] Had Trump won Maryland in the 2024 presidential election, Tomlinson would have been an elector pledged to Trump.^[14]

In September 2025, Tomlinson signed onto a letter to the Maryland State Board of Education opposing a proposal that would allow the state superintendent to overrule local Board of Education decisions.^[15]

During his 2022 House of Delegates campaign, Tomlinson said he planned to introduce legislation in the 2023 legislative session that would improve human resources practices in state government by requiring the fiscal notes of bills to include the number of new employees needed to accomplish the legislation's goals. He also said he supported legislation to limit the powers of the Maryland State Board of Education.^[7]

In November 2025, Tomlinson opposed bills to ban 287(g) program agreements in Maryland, saying that the House Republican Caucus would "use every tool at our disposal to stop this bill from passing".^[16] He also opposed a bill that would set mandatory minimum safety standards on private immigration detention facilities, expressing skepticism about whether the state could regulate federal government facilities.^[17]

Tomlinson supported President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, attending a Trump rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania in December 2019.^[18]

During the 2024 and 2025 legislative sessions, Tomlinson introduced the Victoria, Scottie, Ashleigh, and Yader's Law, which would impose an up to 20-year prison sentence on people who distribute heroin or fentanyl that leads to the death or serious bodily injury of another.^[19]

In August 2024, Tomlinson endorsed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, a federal bill that would require voters to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote.^[20]

During the 2026 legislative session, Tomlinson supported the Protecting Arists' Creative Expression Act, which prevents artistic works from being misinterpreted as literal confessions in trials.^[21]

Tomlinson is married to his wife, Molly. Together, they live in Melrose, Maryland, and have a daughter.^[22]