{{Short description|American politician (born 1974)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Katie Fry Hester | image = Katie Fry Hester (54469387319) (cropped).jpg | caption = Hester in 2025 | state_senate = Maryland | district = 9th | term_start = January 9, 2019 | term_end = | predecessor = Gail H. Bates | successor = | birth_name = Kathryn A. Fry | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1974|12|31}} | birth_place = New York City, New York, U.S. | party = Democratic | spouse = | children = 2 | education = Cornell University (B.Sc.) | signature = Katie Fry Hester signature.svg | website = https://katiefryhester.com/ }} '''Kathryn Fry Hester''' (born December 31, 1974) is an American politician who has served as a Democratic member of the Maryland Senate from the 9th District, based in Howard County and Montgomery County, since 2019.
==Early life and education== Hester was born in New York City on December 31, 1974. She attended Cornell University in 1997, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural and biological engineering. After graduating, she worked as a senior analyst at Arthur D. Little from 1998 to 2001 and as the manager of research and advocacy at SustainAbility from 2001 to 2009. She also is a Maryland first responder and volunteers for WISP Ski Patrol.<ref name="msa">{{cite web |title=Katie Fry Hester, Maryland State Senator|url=https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/05sen/html/msa18044.html |website=Maryland Manual On-Line |publisher=Maryland State Archives |accessdate=March 2, 2019 |date=January 23, 2019}}</ref>
==Political career== ===Early political career=== Hester got involved in politics following the 2016 presidential election out of concern that political divisiveness in Washington was spilling over into her community. Hester joined liberal groups like Indivisible and Do the Most Good and created a small group called Building Bridges with the aim of bringing civility back to her community. She attended the 2017 Women's March on Washington with her two daughters, Sierra and Alexa.<ref name="Wiggins">{{cite news |last1=Wiggins |first1=Ovetta |title=Could a first-term state senator build bridges? It was a constant struggle. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/could-a-first-term-state-senator-build-political-bridges-it-was-a-constant-struggle/2019/05/16/50a6af0c-58c8-11e9-814f-e2f46684196e_story.html |access-date=January 15, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 17, 2019}}</ref>
In August 2017, Hester announced that she would run for the Maryland Senate, challenging Republican incumbent Gail H. Bates.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Magill |first1=Kate |title=New candidates enter race for county council, executive, state Senate |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/howard/ph-ho-cf-pn-candidates-0824-20170818-story.html |access-date=January 15, 2022 |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=August 18, 2017}}</ref> She campaigned on a platform that included expanding access to health care, increasing education funding, and "socially and environmentally responsible" job growth and development.<ref name="Ripples" /> Hester was uncontested in the Democratic primary, and Maryland Senate Democrats viewed the District 9 Senate election as a potential pickup opportunity given the national environment.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Iyer |first1=Kaanita |title=Senate Democrats See Rare Pickup Opportunity in Howard-Carroll District |url=https://www.marylandmatters.org/2018/09/25/senate-democrats-see-rare-pickup-opportunity-in-howard-carroll-district/ |access-date=January 15, 2022 |work=Maryland Matters |date=September 25, 2018}}</ref> Maryland Matters ranked her election among the eight most competitive elections in the Maryland General Assembly that year.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kurtz |first1=Josh |title=Races for Maryland Senate, House of Delegates |url=https://www.marylandmatters.org/2018/09/30/races-for-maryland-senate-house-of-delegates/ |access-date=January 15, 2022 |work=Maryland Matters |date=September 30, 2018}}</ref> She defeated Bates in the general election by 531 votes, and was the only Democrat to oust a Republican senator in Maryland in the 2018 Maryland Senate election.<ref name="Wiggins"/>
===Maryland Senate=== thumb|Hester in the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee, 2024 Hester was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 9, 2019.<ref name="msa"/> She is the first Democrat to represent District 9 in the Maryland Senate since Senator Charles Smelser in 1994.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gaines |first1=Danielle E. |title=Hester Declares Victory, Bates Concedes in District 9 |url=https://www.marylandmatters.org/2018/11/09/hester-declares-victory-bates-concedes-in-district-9/ |access-date=January 15, 2022 |work=Maryland Matters |date=November 9, 2018}}</ref> Hester has been as a member of the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee and the Women Legislators of Maryland since 2019. She has also served on the Protocol Committee since 2020, and as the chair of the Senate Rules Committee since 2026. Since 2023, Hester has served as a deputy majority whip of the Maryland Senate.<ref name="msa"/>
==Political positions== Hester has described herself as a centrist<ref name="Ripples">{{cite news |last1=Mangus |first1=Becky |title=Dems Hope This Year's Ripples Become 2018 Wave |url=https://bizmonthly.com/news/archived/2017/12/dems-hope-years-ripples-become-2018-wave/ |access-date=February 9, 2026 |work=The Business Monthly |date=December 15, 2017}}</ref> and a moderate Democrat who yearns to find common ground with Republicans.<ref name="Wiggins"/>
===Artificial intelligence=== During the 2026 legislative session, Hester introduced bills to ban the use of deepfakes to spread misinformation about elections, to criminalize the use of deepfakes to impersonate someone or cause serious harm, and to prohibit minors from being able to access chatbots unless its developers implement policies to prevent the encouragement of self-harm, harming others, or suicide.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wilson |first1=Katharine |last2=Ibrahim |first2=Mennatalla |title=Maryland lawmakers consider AI, deepfake bills to address evolving technology |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2026/01/21/artificial-intelligence-deepfakes-legislation-general-assembly/ |access-date=January 23, 2026 |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=January 21, 2026}}</ref>
===Environment=== In March 2019, Hester worried that a bill banning the use of plastic foam food containers in Maryland would hurt farmers, including those in her district. After the bill passed the legislature passed the Maryland Senate, she proposed passing legislation to help egg farmers transition to different kinds of materials, appealing to a compromise offered by Republican senator Jack Bailey.<ref name="Wiggins"/>
In 2020, Hester worked alongside state delegate Courtney Watson to secure $8.25 million dollars in funding from the state to support Howard County executive Calvin Ball III's Safe & Sound Plan, a multi-phase proposal to advance flood mitigation projects and support local business and property owners in Ellicott City, Maryland.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shwe |first1=Elizabeth |title=Plan for Flood-Ravaged Ellicott City Seeks to Balance Environment, Business, History |url=https://www.marylandmatters.org/2020/07/24/plan-for-flood-ravaged-ellicott-city-seeks-to-balance-environment-business-history/ |access-date=January 15, 2022 |work=Maryland Matters |date=July 24, 2020}}</ref>
In November 2025, Hester proposed a plan that would provide data centers with incentives to bring their own power generation to the grid and extend a cap on an PJM Interconnection auction that partially drives consumer prices.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Condon |first1=Christine |title=Lawmakers, advocates pitch plans to rein in data center boom, their power demands |url=https://marylandmatters.org/2025/11/17/data-center-plans-maryland-legislators/ |access-date=November 18, 2025 |work=Maryland Matters |date=November 18, 2025}}</ref>
=== Israel === In November 2023, Hester and eight other state senators signed a joint letter that threatened to defund immigrants rights group CASA de Maryland because it had called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war and condemned the "utilization of US tax dollars to promote the ongoing violence."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thakker |first1=Prem |title=Maryland Democrats Threaten Funding of Immigrant Rights Group That Called for Gaza Ceasefire |url=https://theintercept.com/2023/11/09/maryland-democrats-casa-gaza-ceasefire/ |access-date=November 10, 2023 |work=The Intercept |date=November 9, 2023}}</ref>
===Minimum wage=== In March 2019, when the Maryland General Assembly was deciding whether to override Governor Larry Hogan's veto of a $15 minimum wage bill, Hester was tempted to vote against the minimum wage veto override, joining Republican senators who said a $15 wage would lead to job losses and hurt places in her district. She ultimately decided to vote to override the governor's veto on the bill, viewing it as a step toward economic equity, but she also supported GOP proposals to vary the minimum wage in different parts of the state and offered an amendment to give certain small businesses more time to pay the higher wage, both of which were rejected by Senate Democrats.<ref name="Wiggins"/>
In April 2019, Hester convened a bipartisan workgroup consisting of Democratic senators Guy Guzzone and Brian Feldman and Republican senators Andrew Serafini, Christopher R. West, and Mary Beth Carozza to look at possible aid for small business owners in light of the $15 minimum wage veto override.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gaines |first1=Danielle E. |title=Group of Senators Will Examine Small Business Relief |url=https://www.marylandmatters.org/2019/04/02/group-of-senators-will-examine-small-business-relief/ |access-date=January 15, 2022 |work=Maryland Matters |date=April 2, 2019}}</ref>
=== Redistricting === During her 2018 state senate campaign, Hester said she supported using an independent redistricting commission to draw Maryland's congressional and legislative districts.<ref name="Ripples" />
==Electoral history== {{Election box begin no change | title = Maryland Senate District 9 Democratic primary election, 2018<ref>{{cite web | title = Official 2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for State Senator | work = Maryland State Board of Elections | url = https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2018/results/primary/gen_results_2018_1_01509.html }}</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Katie Fry Hester |votes = 9,761 |percentage = 100.0 }} {{End}} {{Election box begin no change | title = Maryland Senate District 9 election, 2018<ref>{{cite web | title = Official 2018 Gubernatorial General Election results for State Senator | work = Maryland State Board of Elections | url = https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2018/results/general/gen_results_2018_2_01509.html }}</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Katie Fry Hester |votes = 33,493 |percentage = 50.8 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = Gail H. Bates (incumbent) |votes = 32,347 |percentage = 49.1 }} {{Election box write-in with party link no change |votes = 52 |percentage = 0.1 }} {{End}} {{Election box begin no change |title=Maryland Senate District 9 election, 2022<ref>{{cite web | title = Official 2022 Gubernatorial General Election results for State Senator | work = Maryland State Board of Elections | url = https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2022/general_results/gen_results_2022_6_9.html }}</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change |party = Maryland Democratic Party |candidate = Katie Fry Hester (incumbent) |votes = 31,214 |percentage = 57.92 }}{{Election box candidate with party link no change |party = Maryland Republican Party |candidate = Reid Novotny |votes = 22,637 |percentage = 42.00 }}{{Election box write-in with party link no change |votes = 42 |percentage = 0.08 }}{{Election box total no change |votes = 53,893 |percentage = 100.00 }}{{End}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{commons category inline}}
{{Maryland State Senators}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hester, Katie Fry}} Category:Cornell University alumni Category:Living people Category:People from Ellicott City, Maryland Category:Democratic Party Maryland state senators Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:Women state legislators in Maryland Category:1974 births Category:21st-century members of the Maryland General Assembly