(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) will serve as a Senior Whip for the House Democratic Caucus in the 115th Congress.  The former Majority Whip of the Maryland State Senate, Raskin will now play a similar role in the House, working to keep track of his fellow Democrats and informing them about key legislative priorities in the House of Representatives. Raskin was appointed to the position by Democratic Whip Congressman Steny Hoyer (MD-05).

“I am honored to serve as a Senior Whip in the 115th Congress,” said Congressman Raskin. “My Democratic colleagues that I have gotten to know so far are remarkably dedicated and interesting people.  So I’m psyched to work with our Democratic Whip, Steny Hoyer, to keep our Caucus unified and focused on fighting for our besieged Constitution and America’s struggling middle class.  We will work every day to defend the progress America has made over the last 8 years.”

“I am proud to announce that Rep. Raskin will serve as a Senior Whip for the 115th Congress,” said Congressman Hoyer. “He brings significant experience to Congress, having previously served as a senior legislator in the Maryland Senate and as Majority Whip in that body.  I look forward to working with him on behalf of Marylanders and all Americans to increase access to the economic opportunities that have always enabled workers and their families to make it in America.”

Although this is his first term in the House of Representatives, it is not Raskin’s first time serving as a Democratic Whip. In Annapolis, he served as the Majority Whip in the Maryland State Senate, where he earned a reputation for building strong legislative coalitions and delivered a series of landmark legislative accomplishments.

As a State Senator, Raskin introduced and championed legislation to pass marriage equality legislation; abolish the death penalty; restore voting rights to former prisoners; increase the state’s minimum wage; abolish the electoral college and enact the National Popular Vote Plan; reinvest in state infrastructure; pass the Dream Act; and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

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Congressman Jamie Raskin represents Maryland’s 8th Congressional District, which includes Montgomery, Frederick, and Carroll counties. He is the Freshman Representative on the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, the Congressional Progressive Caucus Vice Chair and Liaison to New Members, and a Senior Whip for the House Democratic Caucus. Prior to his time in Congress, Raskin served in the Maryland State Senate and has been a constitutional law professor for 25 years.