Pat Young

Young was born in Catonsville, Maryland,^[1] and grew up in Woodbridge Valley. He was a member of the Boy Scouts of America Troop 140^[2] and graduated from Mount Saint Joseph High School in 2001,^[1] afterwards enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps Infantry (1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment) and serving through two combat tours in Iraq as well as a humanitarian mission to Liberia.^[3] Young fought in the Second Battle of Fallujah, during which his unit lost 21 men, including his two best friends,^[2] but received a combat promotion for actions rendered during the battle in November 2004.^[4]

After returning home, Young attended Towson University on the GI Bill,^[5][6] where he founded the Student Veterans Group of Towson and earned three bachelor's degrees (political science, religious studies, and philosophy).^[3] In 2010, he was hired by Towson as the coordinator of veterans services.^[7] In 2011, Young was appointed by Governor Martin O'Malley to the Maryland Veterans Commission.^[8]

In May 2013, Young announced he would run for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 44B, seeking to succeed state delegate Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, who announced a run for Maryland Senate in 2014.^[3] He won the Democratic primary with 22.9 percent of the vote, edging out his opponent by 34 votes and coming in second place behind incumbent state delegate Charles E. Sydnor III.^[9] Young and Sydnor defeated Republican Michael Russell in the general election.^[10]

Young was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 14, 2015. He was a member of the Appropriations Committee during his entire tenure, including as the chair of the personnel oversight subcommittee from 2019 to 2022.^[1] From December 2018 to 2022, he served as the chair of the Baltimore County Delegation.^[11]

In May 2021, Young announced that he would not seek re-election to the House of Delegates in 2022, instead opting to run for the Baltimore County Council, seeking the seat held by outgoing councilmember Tom Quirk.^[12][13] In March 2022, he was endorsed by county executive Johnny Olszewski.^[14] Young won the Democratic primary with 43.8 percent of the vote,^[15] and later won the general election on November 8, 2022, with 63.4 percent of the vote over his opponent.^[16]

Young was sworn in on December 5, 2022.^[1] On the county council, Young gained a reputation as a stickler for law and order, policy, and procedure, pushing for county council meetings to be posted a few days in advance and for his colleagues to submit amendments to bills a few days before hearings so that everyone could review their proposals.^[2] In August 2025, he voted for Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier's nomination of Khadija Walker as the county's Inspector General, despite previously voicing support for incumbent Kelly Madigan^[17] and expressing concerns with the process used to select Walker as Inspector General.^[18]

On February 27, 2025, Young announced that he would run for Baltimore County Executive in 2026, seeking to succeed Klausmeier, who pledged not to run for re-election after being appointed county executive in January 2025. If elected, Young would be the first person from Catonsville to be elected county executive.^[2]

During his 2014 House of Delegates campaign, Young said he supported using eminent domain to take ownership of vacant properties.^[19]

During the 2015 legislative session, Young introduced a bill that would provide dependents of military veterans access to in-state tuition rates at Maryland colleges and universities.^[20]

In November 2019, Young endorsed South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg for president.^[21][22] In January 2020, Young filed to run for delegate to the Democratic National Convention, pledged to Buttigieg.^[23][24]

In August 2020, Young joined a demonstration in front of the home of U.S. postmaster general Louis DeJoy, which was organized amid allegations that DeJoy was limiting mail-in voting ahead of the 2020 United States presidential election.^[25] In December 2020, Young joined ShutDown DC organizers in defending Black Lives Matter Plaza from the Proud Boys, a neo-fascist and white supremacist organization that tried to make their way past police lines and into the plaza throughout the day.^[26]

During the 2021 legislative session, Young introduced a bill that would establish an Office on Climate Change within the governor's office, which would be tasked with implementing the recommendations of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change.^[27]

During the 2022 legislative session and following a cyberattack against the Maryland Department of Health, Young introduced legislation that would offer increased protections to state and local government online networks.^[28][29] All three bills passed and were signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan on May 12, 2022.^[30]

Young is married^[1] and has two sons.^[2]