Meagan Simonaire
American politician from Maryland
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Meagan C. Simonaire (born August 8, 1990) is a former American politician from Maryland and was the youngest member of the Maryland General Assembly. She represented House District 31B (which includes Pasadena and portions of Glen Burnie, Millersville and Severna Park) in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2014 to 2018. She is the daughter of Maryland State Senator Bryan Simonaire.
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Meagan Simonaire | |
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Simonaire in 2015 | |
| Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 31B district | |
| In office January 14, 2015 – January 9, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Don H. Dwyer Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Brian Chisholm |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 18, 1990 |
| Party | Democratic (since 2018) |
Other political affiliations | Republican (before 2018) |
| Parent |
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| Education | Bob Jones University |
Early life
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Simonaire is the third of seven brothers and sisters, and spent most of her childhood in the Middle East where her father worked as an engineer for Northrop Grumman.[1]
After she moved to the U.S., she attended Bob Jones University in South Carolina to study cosmetology.[1]
Political career
Maryland House of Delegates
Simonaire was elected to the House of Delegates in 2014 to one of the two seats in House District 31B. After a competitive primary, Simonaire beat out several other candidates to win a seat alongside then House Minority Leader Nic Kipke, replacing incumbent Don Dwyer who was defeated after a string of legal issues.[2]
Views on conversion therapy
Simonaire publicly came out as bisexual in April 2018 while supporting a bill banning conversion therapy for LGBT teens. In a speech on the House floor, she claimed her parents suggested conversion therapy after she came out to them in January 2015.[3][4] Her father, Senator Bryan Simonaire, disputed her story[5] and continued to oppose the bill. The bill was ultimately passed by both the House of Delegates and Senate.
Elected as a Republican, Simonaire joined the Democratic Party on October 15, 2018.[6][7]
Personal life
Simonaire chose not to run for reelection in 2018 and retired from elected office due to her changing views. She is working as a cosmetic tattoo artist, specializing in eyebrow tattooing. She provides free services to burn patients, cancer patients, domestic violence survivors, and human trafficking survivors.[8][9][10]
Electoral history
- 2014 Republican Primary Election for Maryland House of Delegates – District 31B[11]
- Voters to choose two:
Name Votes Percent Outcome Nic Kipke, Rep. 3,920 31.00% Won Meagan Simonaire, Rep. 3,075 24.30% Won Gus Kurtz, Rep. 1,779 14.10% Lost Brian A. Chisholm, Rep. 1,607 12.70% Lost Faith M. Loudon, Rep. 1,017 8.10% Lost Don Dwyer, Jr., Rep. 890 7.00% Lost Paul William Drgos, Jr., Rep. 230 1.80% Lost David Lee Therrien, Rep. 111 0.90% Lost
- 2014 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – 31B District[12]
- Voters to choose two:
Name Votes Percent Outcome Nic Kipke, Republican 20,858 39.9% Won Meagan C. Simonaire, Republican 19,555 37.4% Won Jeremiah Chiappelli, Democratic 6,332 12.1% Lost Doug Morris, Democratic 5,394 10.3% Lost Other Write-Ins 88 0.2%
