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Teresa Saavedra Woorman

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Teresa Saavedra Woorman
Woorman in 2021
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 16th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 12, 2024
Serving with Sarah Wolek and Marc Korman
Appointed byWes Moore
Preceded bySara N. Love
Personal details
Born (1991-09-02) September 2, 1991 (age 33)
Puebla, Mexico
CitizenshipMexico
United States
Political partyDemocratic

Teresa Saavedra Woorman (born September 2, 1991) is an American politician who is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 16th district.

Early life and education

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Woorman was born in Puebla, Mexico on September 2, 1991.[1] Woorman and her family immigrated to Montgomery County, Maryland when she was nine years old.[2] After graduating from Northwest High School in 2009,[1] she attended Montgomery College, where she earned an associate's degree in international business in 2012, and the University of Maryland, College Park, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and politics in 2015.[1] Woorman became a U.S. citizen while attending college.[2]

Political career

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Woorman worked for the Maryland General Assembly for seven years after graduating,[2] including as chief of staff and legislative director for several of its members from 2016 to 2021[3][1] and as the campaign manager of 21st district incumbents in 2018. She was also the executive vice president of Maryland Young Democrats from 2023 to 2024, and the chair of Pro-Choice Maryland's board of directors from 2022 to 2024.[1] Woorman ran for delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention, pledged to Pete Buttigieg in the primary.[4] She attended the 2020 Democratic National Convention pledged to Joe Biden.[1] She was a delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention pledged to Kamala Harris.[5] During the 2022 Maryland elections, she served as the campaign manager for Marc Elrich's reelection campaign[6] and as the deputy finance director for Brooke Lierman's Comptroller campaign.[1] Since 2023, Woorman has worked as a public information officer for the Montgomery County government.[3]

Maryland House of Delegates

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In April 2022, Woorman was selected to fill a vacancy on the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee. She was then elected to this position in July 2022, and became the party's secretary in December 2022.[3] In June 2024, following the appointment of state delegate Sara N. Love to the Maryland Senate after Ariana Kelly's resignation, Woorman applied to serve the remainder of Love's term in the Maryland House of Delegates.[2] During interviews with the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee (MCDCC), she told party members that she would prioritize housing affordability, ethics reforms, and health equity bills in the legislature.[7] The MCDCC voted 14–10 to nominate Woorman on July 11, 2024.[3] She was sworn in on August 12, 2024[8] and is a member of the Health and Government Operations Committee.[1]

Woorman has been recognized for her leadership and contributions within the political community. In 2023, she was honored with The Dorothy Davidson Award from the Montgomery County Young Democrats. In 2024, she received the Emerging Leader Award from the Latino Democratic Club of Montgomery County, highlighting her influence and dedication to the Latino community.[1]

Personal life

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Woorman is married to her husband, Matthew, an opera singer, and they live in Bethesda, Maryland.[9]

Woorman received national attention during the 2024 Democratic National Convention, one week after being sworn in to the Maryland House of Delegates. The camera panned to Woorman during Oprah Winfrey's prime time speech, immediately after Winfrey's reference to JD Vance's remarks regarding "childless cat ladies." Many watching the convention live found this humorous, comparing the broadcast's camerawork to the comedic camera pans used on The Wendy Williams Show, resulting in the moment going viral. Woorman responded to the moment graciously, confirming on social media that she currently has two cats (Snow White and Oscar), a dog (Gatsby), and no children.[9] A few weeks after the convention in September 2024, Winfrey sent Woorman a bouquet of "over 300" roses, a basket of cat toys, a litter vacuum, and a note that said, "Thank you for rising to this moment with grace and humor".[10]

Woorman is fluent in Spanish, English, French, and Italian.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Teresa S. Woorman, Maryland State Delegate". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. August 13, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Kurtz, Josh (July 3, 2024). "Applicants for District 16 House vacancy offer different skill sets". Maryland Matters. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Bixby, Ginny (July 12, 2024). "County Democratic Central Committee taps own secretary to fill General Assembly delegate vacancy". MoCo360. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  4. ^ "Delegates to the Democratic National Convention". MoCo360. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  5. ^ Bixby, Ginny (August 22, 2024). "Bethesda delegate goes viral for 'childless cat lady' moment during Oprah's DNC speech". MoCo360. Retrieved October 14, 2024. The General Assembly member, who represents the Bethesda area, was attending the convention as a Maryland voting delegate for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
  6. ^ Bohnel, Steve (August 12, 2022). "More than 100 provisional ballots still need to be reviewed, elections official says". MoCo360. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  7. ^ Kurtz, Josh (July 12, 2024). "Montgomery County Democratic Committee picks Woorman for District 16 vacancy". Maryland Matters. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  8. ^ Sears, Bryan P.; Kurtz, Josh (August 6, 2024). "Two vacancies in House of Delegates closer to being filled". Maryland Matters. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Voght, Kara (August 22, 2024). "When Oprah says 'childless cat lady,' and the camera's on you". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  10. ^ Gaskill, Hannah (September 13, 2024). "A meow-icle: Del. Teresa Woorman is Maryland's resident 'childless cat lady'". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  11. ^ Mlnarik, Carson (August 22, 2024). "Childless cat lady singled out during Oprah's DNC speech last night responds: "Damn right!"". Queerty. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
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