Arthur Carr Ellis (born July 26,1961) is an American politician and accountant who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate from the 28th district since 2019.
Ellis became involved in politics as a member of the Charles County NAACP chapter, becoming its communications director in 2016.[1] In March 2017, he criticized the state's $900,000 purchase and preservation of land where Josiah Henson was enslaved before escaping to freedom, arguing that the money would be better spent on youth programs.[4] He ran for the Maryland Senate in 2018, challenging six-term incumbent Thomas M. Middleton. Ellis defeated Middleton in an upset[5] in the Democratic primary on June 26, 2018, receiving 52.0 percent of the vote and edging out Middleton by 651 votes.[6] Following Middleton's defeat, the Maryland Republican Party targeted the district, backing businessman and Charles County Republican Party chairman Bill Dotson,[7][8] who Ellis defeated in the general election on November 6, 2018, with 66.2 percent of the vote.[9]
Maryland Senate
Ellis in the Senate Finance Committee, 2024
Ellis was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 9, 2019. He was a member of the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee from 2019 to 2022, afterwards serving on the Finance Committee since 2023. Since 2020, he has served as an assistant deputy majority leader, and since 2025, he has served as the vice chair of the Senate Rules Committee.[1]
In February 2026, after Senate President Bill Ferguson told reporters that mid-decade redistricting would not be a priority for the Senate, Ellis announced on the Senate floor that he would not register his presence for full Senate sessions for the remainder of the legislative session unless Ferguson brought the mid-decade redistricting bill up for a floor vote. He would continue to attend committee meetings and present the bills he introduced to committees. Following his remarks, Ellis told reporters that he had been intimidated by Democratic leaders for his position on redistricting and, after calling a straw poll on the issue during a meeting of Senate Democrats earlier in the week, was called into an hour-long meeting with Ferguson in which the Senate president told Ellis "how inappropriate that bringing it up in the caucus meeting was".[11] A spokesperson for Ferguson said that meeting between him and Ellis never took place, confirmed that Ellis brought up redistricting their caucus meeting, and said that no senators knew Ellis would bring up redistricting on the Senate floor, though said that it was "totally within [Ellis's] rights" to do so.[12] During a press conference the next day, Ferguson rejected allegations that he had intimidated Ellis and would have a conversation with him "to make sure that I understand where he's coming from", but continued to oppose bringing redistricting legislation to the floor for a vote.[13] He also said Ellis's protest would not affect the Senate's ability to function and that no disciplinary action is expected against him, citing the Senate rules, which holds that any senators present on the floor are present for quorum regardless of whether they register their presence.[14] A few days later, Ellis called for Ferguson to step down over his decision to continue blocking a vote on redistricting.[15]
During the 2020 legislative session, Ellis voted against an amendment to the Blueprint for Maryland's Future that would provide $150 million in grants toward programs to improve students' behavioral health, arguing that it could "stigmatize poor kids and create a long-lasting trail of unemployability for these children".[17] In January 2021, he said he supported overriding Governor Larry Hogan's veto of the Blueprint.[18]
During the 2022 legislative session, Ellis introduced a bill that would split up the College of Southern Maryland and use the college's La Plata campus to create a new Charles County Community College.[19]
Electoral reform
During the 2021 legislative session, Ellis introduced a bill to require the makeup of local election boards to be based on the party affiliation of voters in each county, rather than the governor's political party.[20] He also supported a bill that would eliminate at-large county commissioner districts, requiring commissioners to be elected to individual districts.[21]
During the 2021 legislative session, Ellis introduced an amendment to the Climate Solutions Now Act that would prioritize tree planting projects in underserved areas, and another amendment requiring the state's climate transition workgroup to include a veteran, a formerly incarcerated person, two women and two NAACP members; both amendments were adopted.[23]
Policing
During the 2021 legislative session, Ellis introduced a bill that would prohibit school resource officers from entering schools unless instructed or in the event of an emergency.[24] The bill failed to move out of committee.[25]
In 2022, Ellis said he supported overriding Governor Larry Hogan's veto of a bill to repeal the Law Enforcement Officer's Bill of Rights.[26]
Transportation
During his 2018 campaign, Ellis said he supported upgrades to U.S. 301 and Maryland Routes 5 and 210, as well as expanding MARC rail services to Charles County.[27] During the 2020 legislative session, he introduced a bill to provide $27 million toward building a light rail line in southern Maryland along Route 5,[28] and another to provide inmates with Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration-administered identification cards and license renewal before their release.[29]
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