Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County), the first woman and the first Black legislator to hold the post, is stepping down after more than six years in the job.

Multiple sources confirmed that she had decided to retire before the 2026 legislative session. The announcement came as Jones called a meeting Thursday with leaders of the House’s standing committees.

For the better part of the month, Jones, 71, has been quietly absent. She did not attend a fundraiser for the House Democratic Caucus last month and sharply curtailed her schedule during that same time as behind-the-scenes jockeying to succeed her circulated Annapolis.

Neither Jones nor her staff responded to multiple requests for comment.

Her decision caps a difficult year for the speaker that incl

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