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Democrat · Maryland House, district 21

Serving since Jan 10, 2007MD 2025–26 session

Portrait of Joseline Peña-Melnyk, rendered as a two-tone print
Official portrait
94%
of State House Democrats score to the right of Peña-Melnyk on the CSIP scale

CSIP score −1.08 (approximate range −1.11 to −1.04, which understates the uncertainty); negative is left of the scale’s centre, positive right. From 1,463 donors and 1,010 roll calls.

CSIP places every official on one left–right scale estimated from roll-call votes, campaign donations and the text of statements; 0 is the centre of the scale, not a definition of moderate. The share says where Peña-Melnyk sits among State House Democrats, not how far from the centre.

At a glance

6 measures against State House Democrats. 78% of the 167 bills Peña-Melnyk sponsored got out of committee, in the top tenth of the Maryland House. Peña-Melnyk reported $321.1K in the 2026 cycle, in the top tenth of State House Democrats (median $40.4K).

The measures on which Peña-Melnyk sits furthest from the middle of State House Democrats, each against the same group, with the CSIP score when there is one. Every number is explained in its own section below.

CSIP ideology

−1.08

More liberal than 94% of State House Democrats · ± 0.04

Out of committee

78%

Maryland House average 49% · ranks 9th of 140

Attendance

99.7%

Maryland House average 94.3% · ranks 11th of 137 · 1,298 roll calls

Itemized, 2026

$321.1K

State House Democrats’ median $40.4K · ranks 172nd of 2,082

Party unity

100%

Maryland House average 97.0% · ranks 19th of 136 · 0 votes against the majority of Maryland House Democrats

Policy discussion

22%

State House Democrats average 39% · ranks 607th of 764

Peer group: State House Democrats. Rank 1 is the highest value in the group; the thick bar is Peña-Melnyk, the thin grey bar the peer average. The headline is the measure on which Peña-Melnyk is most unusual among peers (Methods, §08).

Back to topNext: What politicians say

What Peña-Melnyk says

Peña-Melnyk attacks opponents personally less than 76% of State House Democrats. Personal attacks in 0% of 258 statements, against 2.5% for the average State House Democrat; 584th of 764.

An AI model reads each of Peña-Melnyk’s 258 statements in the MD 2025–26 session (258 posts on X) and marks the kinds of statement it contains: a personal attack, criticism of a policy, discussion of policy, bipartisanship, credit claiming, and extreme labels. A statement can carry several. Every rate is compared with the average for State House Democrats and ranked among them.

Kinds of statement

Share of statements carrying each label, the MD 2025–26 session

0%80%
Peña-Melnyk
Peers
Rank
Policy discussion58 statements
22%
39%
607th of 764
Credit claiming24 statements
9%
14%
447th of 764
Policy criticism6 statements
2%
10%
585th of 764
Bipartisanship4 statements
2%
3%
431st of 764
Personal attacks0 statements
0%
3%
584th of 764
Show the data
Peña-Melnyk's share of statements in each category against the State House Democrats average.
RowPeña-MelnykPeers
Policy discussion22%39%
Credit claiming9%14%
Policy criticism2%10%
Bipartisanship2%3%
Personal attacks0%3%
258

statements classified

258 posts on X.

posts on X: 258 (100.0%)posts on X 258
Show the data
Peña-Melnyk's statements by source
PartValue
posts on X258
How to read the bars

The thick bar is Peña-Melnyk; the thin grey bar is the average State House Democrats. A longer thick bar means Peña-Melnyk does this more than peers. Rank 1 is the highest rate in the group.

Extreme labels

Peña-Melnyk used extreme labels in 1.2% of statements, above the peer average. 3 statements, most often aimed at MAGA; peers 1.0%.

  1. “MAGA”1

Who gets the labels

Targets named alongside an extreme label, by number of statements

  1. MAGA1
  2. MAGAinMDs6th1
What an extreme label is

Calls a politician, a party or a policy “far left”, “far right”, “MAGA”, “extreme”, “radical”, “woke”, “fascist” or “communist”. The target is who or what the label was aimed at. The lists show the five most used labels and targets; the toggle shows the rest.

Month by month

Share of statements per month, the MD 2025–26 session

Statements2025-01: 312025-02: 172025-03: 192025-04: 102025-05: 112025-06: 52025-07: 132025-08: 142025-09: 92025-10: 82025-11: 42025-12: 342026-01: 122026-02: 92026-03: 62026-04: 32026-05: 32026-06: 102026-07: 132026-08: 72026-09: 92026-10: 11peak 34 · Dec ’25Personal attackspeak 0.0% · Jan ’25 · latest 0.0%Personal attacks, 2025-01: 0.0% of 31Personal attacks, 2025-02: 0.0% of 17Personal attacks, 2025-03: 0.0% of 19Personal attacks, 2025-04: 0.0% of 10Personal attacks, 2025-05: 0.0% of 11Personal attacks, 2025-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-07: 0.0% of 13Personal attacks, 2025-08: 0.0% of 14Personal attacks, 2025-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-12: 0.0% of 34Personal attacks, 2026-01: 0.0% of 12Personal attacks, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-06: 0.0% of 10Personal attacks, 2026-07: 0.0% of 13Personal attacks, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-10: 0.0% of 11Policy criticismpeak 7.1% · Aug ’25 · latest 0.0%Policy criticism, 2025-01: 3.2% of 31Policy criticism, 2025-02: 5.9% of 17Policy criticism, 2025-03: 0.0% of 19Policy criticism, 2025-04: 0.0% of 10Policy criticism, 2025-05: 0.0% of 11Policy criticism, 2025-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-07: 0.0% of 13Policy criticism, 2025-08: 7.1% of 14Policy criticism, 2025-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-12: 0.0% of 34Policy criticism, 2026-01: 0.0% of 12Policy criticism, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-06: 0.0% of 10Policy criticism, 2026-07: 0.0% of 13Policy criticism, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-10: 0.0% of 11Policy discussionpeak 46.2% · Jul ’26 · latest 45.5%Policy discussion, 2025-01: 19.4% of 31Policy discussion, 2025-02: 35.3% of 17Policy discussion, 2025-03: 15.8% of 19Policy discussion, 2025-04: 0.0% of 10Policy discussion, 2025-05: 18.2% of 11Policy discussion, 2025-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-07: 23.1% of 13Policy discussion, 2025-08: 35.7% of 14Policy discussion, 2025-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-12: 2.9% of 34Policy discussion, 2026-01: 33.3% of 12Policy discussion, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-06: 30.0% of 10Policy discussion, 2026-07: 46.2% of 13Policy discussion, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-10: 45.5% of 11Bipartisanshippeak 8.3% · Jan ’26 · latest 0.0%Bipartisanship, 2025-01: 3.2% of 31Bipartisanship, 2025-02: 0.0% of 17Bipartisanship, 2025-03: 5.3% of 19Bipartisanship, 2025-04: 0.0% of 10Bipartisanship, 2025-05: 0.0% of 11Bipartisanship, 2025-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-07: 7.7% of 13Bipartisanship, 2025-08: 0.0% of 14Bipartisanship, 2025-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-12: 0.0% of 34Bipartisanship, 2026-01: 8.3% of 12Bipartisanship, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-06: 0.0% of 10Bipartisanship, 2026-07: 0.0% of 13Bipartisanship, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-10: 0.0% of 11Credit claimingpeak 23.1% · Jul ’25 · latest 18.2%Credit claiming, 2025-01: 6.5% of 31Credit claiming, 2025-02: 17.6% of 17Credit claiming, 2025-03: 0.0% of 19Credit claiming, 2025-04: 0.0% of 10Credit claiming, 2025-05: 9.1% of 11Credit claiming, 2025-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-07: 23.1% of 13Credit claiming, 2025-08: 14.3% of 14Credit claiming, 2025-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-12: 2.9% of 34Credit claiming, 2026-01: 16.7% of 12Credit claiming, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-06: 10.0% of 10Credit claiming, 2026-07: 7.7% of 13Credit claiming, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-10: 18.2% of 11Extreme labelspeak 10.0% · Jun ’26 · latest 0.0%Extreme labels, 2025-01: 0.0% of 31Extreme labels, 2025-02: 0.0% of 17Extreme labels, 2025-03: 0.0% of 19Extreme labels, 2025-04: 0.0% of 10Extreme labels, 2025-05: 0.0% of 11Extreme labels, 2025-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-07: 0.0% of 13Extreme labels, 2025-08: 0.0% of 14Extreme labels, 2025-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-12: 0.0% of 34Extreme labels, 2026-01: 0.0% of 12Extreme labels, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-06: 10.0% of 10Extreme labels, 2026-07: 0.0% of 13Extreme labels, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-10: 0.0% of 11Jan ’25Jul ’25Jan ’26Jul ’26Oct ’26
Show the data
Monthly rates for Peña-Melnyk, each row shaded against its own peak, with statement volume. Months with fewer than 10 statements are left blank.
ColumnStatementsPersonal attacksPolicy criticismPolicy discussionBipartisanshipCredit claimingExtreme labels
Jan ’25310.0%3.2%19.4%3.2%6.5%0.0%
Feb ’25170.0%5.9%35.3%0.0%17.6%0.0%
Mar ’25190.0%0.0%15.8%5.3%0.0%0.0%
Apr ’25100.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
May ’25110.0%0.0%18.2%0.0%9.1%0.0%
Jun ’255— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Jul ’25130.0%0.0%23.1%7.7%23.1%0.0%
Aug ’25140.0%7.1%35.7%0.0%14.3%0.0%
Sep ’259— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Oct ’258— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Nov ’254— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Dec ’25340.0%0.0%2.9%0.0%2.9%0.0%
Jan ’26120.0%0.0%33.3%8.3%16.7%0.0%
Feb ’269— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Mar ’266— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Apr ’263— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
May ’263— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Jun ’26100.0%0.0%30.0%0.0%10.0%10.0%
Jul ’26130.0%0.0%46.2%0.0%7.7%0.0%
Aug ’267— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Sep ’269— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Oct ’26110.0%0.0%45.5%0.0%18.2%0.0%
How to read the strips

Each row is one kind of statement; each cell is a month, shaded against that row’s own peak (darker = closer to the peak), with the peak and the latest value written at the right. The top row counts statements. The strip covers every month of the MD 2025–26 session, the same span as the rates above, including months with no statements. A month with fewer than 10 statements is hatched, not shaded: one or two posts would swing its rate to 0% or 100%. 10 months are hatched here.

In Peña-Melnyk’s words

Real statements from the classifier’s example set, with the labels it assigned

Bipartisanship

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Jan 20, 2026 · Posts on X (state legislators) · policy discussion; bipartisanship; credit claiming; Government Operations and Politics · Source

Policy criticism

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Nov 9, 2025 · Posts on X (state legislators) · policy criticism; policy discussion; credit claiming; Health · Source

Extreme label

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Jun 15, 2026 · Posts on X (state legislators) · credit claiming; extreme label “extreme” aimed at MAGAinMDs6th · Source

Examples by category

Up to five recent statements in each category

Category

Overtly questions a named person’s character, integrity or loyalty, or calls them names. Criticising a record or a policy does not count.

No statements in this category in this window.

All 258 statements

Newest first, the MD 2025–26 session

The full feed

Five statements at a time, newest first; filters apply to the statements loaded so far. Export saves the statements that match. Sources: 258 posts on X.

Back to topNext: Policy

Policy

Health is what Peña-Melnyk talks about most: 34% of policy statements, 2.3 times the peer share. Talk and legislation agree at 0.61 on a 0–1 scale (State House Democrats average 0.54; 137th of 503).

Each policy statement is tagged by the AI model with one or more of 25 policy areas from the Congressional Research Service list, so the shares say what Peña-Melnyk talks about. The bills Peña-Melnyk sponsors and cosponsors carry the same areas, so the two can be compared.

What Peña-Melnyk talks about

Share of policy statements by area, the MD 2025–26 session

0%51%
Peña-Melnyk
Peers
Health20 statements
34%
15%
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues11 statements
19%
10%
Government Operations and Politics11 statements
19%
15%
Crime and Law Enforcement4 statements
7%
8%
Education4 statements
7%
15%
Show the data
Policy areas Peña-Melnyk talks about, as a share of policy statements, against the State House Democrats average.
RowPeña-MelnykPeers
Health34%15%
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues19%10%
Government Operations and Politics19%15%
Crime and Law Enforcement7%8%
Education7%15%
How to read the bars

The thick bar is the share of Peña-Melnyk’s policy statements in an area; the thin grey bar is the average share for State House Democrats. A statement counts once in each of its areas, so shares can add to more than 100%. The five largest areas are shown; the toggle shows the rest.

Talks about · legislates on

Left: share of statements by policy area. Right: share of bills. Areas in order of their share of statements; both sides run from 0 to 51%. Grey ticks are the State House Democrats averages.

Talks aboutLegislates onHealthHealth, talks about: 34% (State House Democrats 15%)34%Health, legislates on: 46% (State House Democrats 15%)46%Civil Rights and Liberties,Minority IssuesCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues, talks about: 19% (State House Democrats 10%)19%Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues, legislates on: 4% (State House Democrats 4%)4%Government Operations andPoliticsGovernment Operations and Politics, talks about: 19% (State House Democrats 15%)19%Government Operations and Politics, legislates on: 12% (State House Democrats 8%)12%Crime and Law EnforcementCrime and Law Enforcement, talks about: 7% (State House Democrats 8%)7%Crime and Law Enforcement, legislates on: 4% (State House Democrats 9%)4%EducationEducation, talks about: 7% (State House Democrats 15%)7%Education, legislates on: 7% (State House Democrats 10%)7%
Show the data
Peña-Melnyk's share of statements against share of bills in each policy area.
AreaTalks aboutState House Democrats, talks aboutLegislates onState House Democrats, legislates on
Health34%15%46%15%
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues19%10%4%4%
Government Operations and Politics19%15%12%8%
Crime and Law Enforcement7%8%4%9%
Education7%15%7%10%
0.61

talk-to-bills agreement, 0 to 1

State House Democrats average 0.54. Ranks 137th of 503.

What agreement means, and what it doesn’t

Agreement is 1 minus the distance between the two distributions (Jensen–Shannon): 1 means Peña-Melnyk legislates on exactly the areas Peña-Melnyk talks about, in the same proportions; 0 means no overlap. It does not say whether the bills match the positions in the statements, only the subjects. Bills Peña-Melnyk sponsored count fully, cosponsored bills a quarter. Shown with at least 20 policy statements and 5 bills.

Back to topNext: Ideology

Ideology

Peña-Melnyk sits at −1.08 on the CSIP scale, left of 0, more liberal than 94% of State House Democrats. Approximate range −1.11 to −1.04, which understates the uncertainty; from 1,463 donors and 1,010 roll calls.

CSIP, the lab’s Common-Space Ideal Point, places every official, federal and state, on one left–right scale, estimated from roll-call votes, who gives money to whom, and the text of statements. Negative is left of 0, positive right of it; 0 is the centre of the scale, not a definition of “moderate”.

−1.08

CSIP ideal point

Approximate range −1.11 to −1.04. From 1,463 donors and 1,010 roll calls. Run 2026-10-25T215945. Blue is left of 0, red right of 0.

← More liberalMore conservative →0Peña-Melnyk −1.1State House Democrats −0.6Maryland House −0.6All State House +0.1

The outlined dot is Peña-Melnyk, coloured by its side of 0 (blue left, red right, deeper further out); the bar through it is the approximate range (±1.96 standard errors), which understates the uncertainty; the grey ticks below are the medians of Peña-Melnyk’s groups. 0 is the centre of the scale, not “moderate” by definition.

What this means, and what it doesn’t

The score summarises how an official votes, who funds them and how they talk, relative to everyone else. It does not grade positions as good or bad, and two officials with the same score can differ on any single issue. The ± range is 1.96 standard errors, which understates the uncertainty: scores whose ranges overlap may not differ at all, and even scores whose ranges do not overlap may not differ.

Where Peña-Melnyk sits

Every official in each group, on the CSIP scale

−2.0−1.00.0+1.0+2.0← More liberalMore conservative →State House Democratsmedian −0.6Peña-Melnyk −1.1Maryland Housemedian −0.6All State Housemedian +0.1
Show the data
Peña-Melnyk's CSIP score of −1.08 placed against State House Democrats, Maryland House, All State House.
GroupOfficialsMedianShare left of Peña-Melnyk
State House Democrats2392−0.66%
Maryland House141−0.65%
All State House5324+0.13%
How to read the strips

Every small dot is one official on the same scale, coloured by its own score (blue left of 0, red right of 0, grey at 0, deeper further out) and spread up and down only to keep dots apart; where a group is crowded the dots overlap, and darker patches mean more officials. The large outlined dot is Peña-Melnyk in every row; the rule is each group’s median. The table under the figure gives the share of each group to the left of Peña-Melnyk.

Back to topNext: Money

Money

Peña-Melnyk reported $321.1K in the 2026 cycle, 7.9 times the State House Democrats’ median of $40.4K. State filings report no small-donation total. 85% of itemized individual money came from Maryland.

Campaign money from state campaign-finance filings, as aggregates only; the lab never shows an individual donor. Campaigns must report by name every person who gives them more than $200 in a cycle (“itemized”); smaller gifts are reported only as one total (“unitemized”), so donor counts, donor states, employers and occupations describe itemized donors only. State filings report no small-gift total, so these figures add up itemized contributions only.

Election cycle
$321.1K

itemized in the 2026 cycle

From 370 itemized donors. State House Democrats’ median $40.4K.

Where the money came from

Each square is one percent of itemized contributions in the 2026 cycle.

Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)Individuals (itemized): $264.4K (82.3%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)PACs and other committees: $56.8K (17.7%)
  • Individuals (itemized)82 squares$264.4K
  • PACs and other committees18 squares$56.8K
Show the data
Sources of Peña-Melnyk's money, 2026 cycle, one square per percent
SourceAmountShare
Individuals (itemized)$264.4K82.3%
PACs and other committees$56.8K17.7%
What this means, and what it doesn’t

Totals say how much a campaign took in, not how it was spent, and they rise sharply when a seat is up for election; compare cycles with that in mind.

Receipts by cycle

Itemized contributions, 2020 to 2026. The grey line is the State House Democrats’ median for 2026.

2020 cycle: $115.8K$115.8K20202022 cycle: $52.3K$52.3K20222024 cycle: $162.1K$162.1K20242026 cycle: $321.1K$321.1K2026State House Democrats median $40.4K
Show the data
Peña-Melnyk's receipts by cycle against the 2026 State House Democrats median.
ItemValue
2020 cycle$115.8K
2022 cycle$52.3K
2024 cycle$162.1K
2026 cycle$321.1K

Top donor states, 2026

Itemized contributions by donor state. 85% came from Maryland.

  1. Maryland$225.4K
  2. District of Columbia$9,625
  3. Massachusetts$6,250
  4. California$5,250
  5. Pennsylvania$4,500

Small donations

State filings report no total for small gifts.

Not reported in state filings.

Where itemized donors live

Individuals who gave more than $200, by donor state

Alaska: no dataAKMaine: no dataMEVermont: no dataVTNew Hampshire: no dataNHWashington: no dataWAIdaho: no dataIDMontana: no dataMTNorth Dakota: no dataNDMinnesota: $125MNIllinois: no dataILWisconsin: no dataWIMichigan: no dataMINew York: no dataNYRhode Island: no dataRIMassachusetts: $6,250MAOregon: no dataORNevada: no dataNVWyoming: no dataWYSouth Dakota: no dataSDIowa: no dataIAIndiana: no dataINOhio: $2,000OHPennsylvania: $4,500PANew Jersey: $1,250NJConnecticut: no dataCTCalifornia: $5,250CAUtah: no dataUTColorado: $2,000CONebraska: no dataNEMissouri: no dataMOKentucky: no dataKYWest Virginia: $500WVVirginia: $4,125VAMaryland: $225.4KMDDelaware: $475DEArizona: no dataAZNew Mexico: no dataNMKansas: no dataKSArkansas: no dataARTennessee: no dataTNNorth Carolina: no dataNCSouth Carolina: no dataSCDistrict of Columbia: $9,625DCOklahoma: no dataOKLouisiana: no dataLAMississippi: no dataMSAlabama: no dataALGeorgia: $100GAHawaii: no dataHITexas: $2,000TXFlorida: $750FL
Show the data
Peña-Melnyk's itemized individual contributions by donor state, 2026 cycle
StateValue
Maryland$225.4K
District of Columbia$9,625
Massachusetts$6,250
California$5,250
Pennsylvania$4,500
Virginia$4,125
Ohio$2,000
Colorado$2,000
Texas$2,000
New Jersey$1,250
Florida$750
West Virginia$500
Delaware$475
Minnesota$125
Georgia$100
AlaskaNo data
MaineNo data
VermontNo data
New HampshireNo data
WashingtonNo data
IdahoNo data
MontanaNo data
North DakotaNo data
IllinoisNo data
WisconsinNo data
MichiganNo data
New YorkNo data
Rhode IslandNo data
OregonNo data
NevadaNo data
WyomingNo data
South DakotaNo data
IowaNo data
IndianaNo data
ConnecticutNo data
UtahNo data
NebraskaNo data
MissouriNo data
KentuckyNo data
ArizonaNo data
New MexicoNo data
KansasNo data
ArkansasNo data
TennesseeNo data
North CarolinaNo data
South CarolinaNo data
OklahomaNo data
LouisianaNo data
MississippiNo data
AlabamaNo data
HawaiiNo data
370

itemized donors

People who gave more than $200

85%

from Maryland

Of itemized individual dollars

How to read the map

Every state the same size. Darker states gave more itemized money; hatched states had no itemized donors; the outlined state is Maryland. Gifts of $200 or less carry no address and are left out.

Top donor occupations

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

No occupations reported.

Top committees

PAC and committee contributions, 2026 cycle.

  1. THOROUGHBRED HORSEMEN'S POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$6,000
  2. WASHINGTON GAS LIGHT COMPANY/SEMCO ENERGY EMPLOYEE PAC$6,000
  3. USACS PAC$3,500
  4. LIFESPAN PAC$3,000
  5. THE HOME DEPOT ACTION COMMITTEE$2,500

Top employers

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

No employers reported.

Aggregates only. Individual donors are never named.

Back to topNext: Votes

Votes

Peña-Melnyk voted with the majority of Maryland House Democrats on 100% of party-line votes and missed 0.2% of 1,298 roll calls. Maryland House on average: 97.0% party unity, 94.3% attendance. Across all roll calls, Peña-Melnyk never voted against the majority of Maryland House Democrats.

1,298 roll calls Peña-Melnyk could vote on in the MD 2025–26 session, compared with Maryland House. Attendance is the share with a vote recorded. Party unity counts only party-line roll calls, where most Democrats and most Republicans voted on opposite sides, and is the share of those where Peña-Melnyk voted with the majority of Maryland House Democrats. The count of votes against that majority covers every roll call where the majority took a side.

0

votes against the majority of Maryland House Democrats

Party unity 100%, Maryland House average 97.0%, ranks 19th of 136. 1,298 roll calls in the MD 2025–26 session.

Attendance and party unity

The thick bar is Peña-Melnyk, the thin grey bar the Maryland House average. The scale runs from 80% to 100% to show the gap.

80%100%
Peña-Melnyk
Peers
Rank
Attendance
99.7%
94.3%
11th of 137
Party unity
100%
97.0%
19th of 136
Show the data
Peña-Melnyk's attendance and party unity against Maryland House.
RowPeña-MelnykPeers
Attendance99.7%94.3%
Party unity100%97.0%
What this means, and what it doesn’t

A missed roll call has many causes, from illness to campaigning, so attendance says how often, not why. A vote against the majority can be on procedure as well as substance, and many fall on roll calls where both parties split; the key votes below show the ones that decided something.

Key votes

25 roll calls the lab flagged as key in the MD 2025–26 session

Key votes
Party split (yea–nay)Why it’s key
Mar 30, 2026
HB 769
State Board of Social Work Examiners - Provisional License to Practice Social Work - Established
On Third Reading and Final Passage (CCR Adp)
Did not vote—passD 98–0 · R 13–22Democrats 98 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 13 yea, 22 naybecame law · party crossover
Mar 30, 2026
HB 1118
Health, Health Insurance, and Health Occupations - Perinatal Behavioral Health Conditions
On Third Reading and Final Passage (CCR Adp)
Did not vote—passD 98–0 · R 33–2Democrats 98 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 33 yea, 2 naybecame law
Mar 26, 2025
SB 666
Maryland Community Action Agencies - Funding
On Third Reading
YeaWith majoritypassD 101–0 · R 7–30Democrats 101 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 7 yea, 30 naybecame law · party crossover
Mar 26, 2025
HB 826
Office of Small, Minority, and Women Business Affairs - Repeal of Interdepartmental Advisory Committee and Establishment of the Governor's Subcabinet on Socioeconomic Procurement Participation
On Third Reading and Final Passage (Hse concurred)
YeaWith majoritypassD 100–0 · R 31–7Democrats 100 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 31 yea, 7 naybecame law · party crossover
Mar 26, 2025
HB 500
Procurement Reform Act of 2025
On Third Reading and Final Passage (Hse concurred)
YeaWith majoritypassD 98–0 · R 19–19Democrats 98 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 19 yea, 19 naybecame law · party crossover
How key votes are chosen

Automatically: a final-passage or override vote where the measure became law, the margin was under 10%, at least 10% of either party voted against its majority, or the bill was among the 25 most mentioned in officials’ own statements. Up to 25 per window, most recent first; five are shown. Bars show yea on the left, nay on the right, per party.

Votes most often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Peña-Melnyk most often

  1. Dana SteinD1,225 shared votes100%
  2. Guy GuzzoneD1,293 shared votes100%
  3. David MoonD1,293 shared votes100%
  4. Joe VogelD1,278 shared votes100%
  5. Julie Palakovich CarrD1,276 shared votes100%

Votes least often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Peña-Melnyk least often

  1. Robin GrammerR1,164 shared votes46%
  2. Mark FisherR1,286 shared votes54%
  3. Lauren ArikanR1,234 shared votes55%
  4. Kathy SzeligaR1,262 shared votes55%
  5. Ryan NawrockiR1,228 shared votes57%
How to read the agreement lists

The share of roll calls both members voted on where they voted the same way, among colleagues sharing at least 50 such votes. High agreement with members of the other party is common on routine votes.

Full voting record

MD 2025–26 session, loads in batches

Back to topNext: Legislation

Legislation

Peña-Melnyk sponsored 167 bills in the MD 2025–26 session; 100 became law. Cosponsored 0 others. 78% of sponsored bills got out of committee (Maryland House average 49%; 9th of 140).

The bills Peña-Melnyk sponsored and cosponsored in the MD 2025–26 session, from the official bill records, and how far each got: introduced, referred to or acted on in committee, passed one chamber, passed both, became law. A bill counts at every stage it has reached, so the blocks only shrink to the right.

Bills by stage

Counts for the MD 2025–26 session

Sponsored167 billsSponsored, Introduced: 167167Sponsored, In committee: 167167Sponsored, Passed one chamber: 131131Sponsored, Passed both chambers: 104104Sponsored, Became law: 100100Cosponsored0 billsCosponsored, Introduced: 00Cosponsored, In committee: 00Cosponsored, Passed one chamber: 00Cosponsored, Passed both chambers: 00Cosponsored, Became law: 00IntroducedIncommitteePassed onechamberPassed bothchambersBecamelaw
Show the data
Bills Peña-Melnyk sponsored and cosponsored, by furthest stage reached
RoleIntroducedIn committeePassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law
Sponsored167167131104100
Cosponsored00000
How to read the blocks

Ink blocks are bills Peña-Melnyk sponsored, ochre blocks bills Peña-Melnyk cosponsored; the figure above each block is the count. Most bills in any legislature never leave committee, so a short staircase is the norm.

78%

of sponsored bills got out of committee

Maryland House average 49%. Ranks 9th of 140.

Cosponsorship partners

Colleagues who most often cosponsor with Peña-Melnyk, by number of shared bills in the MD 2025–26 session; the square shows their party.

  1. Deni Taveras88
  2. Jamila Woods77
  3. Ashanti Martínez77
  4. Heather Bagnall Tudball76
  5. Teresa Woorman75
What this means, and what it doesn’t

The score is the share of sponsored bills that a committee reported out or a chamber passed, with at least 5 sponsored bills, ranked within the peer group. Members of the majority party and committee chairs move more bills, so the rank reflects position in the chamber as well as effort. Cosponsorship partners are the five colleagues who share the most of Peña-Melnyk’s bills; the toggle shows more.

Bill list

Sponsored and cosponsored, with status and policy area; five are shown, the toggle shows the rest

Bills sponsored and cosponsored
HB 1629Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs - Discharge of Patients and Referral Services - StandardsSponsorFeb 25, 2026In committeeHealth(model)First Reading House Rules and Executive Nominations Feb 25, 2026
HB 1367Commission on Re-Imagining Health Care in MarylandSponsorFeb 13, 2026Became lawHealth(model)Approved by the Governor - Chapter 244 Apr 28, 2026
HB 1364Public Health - Mammograms - Arterial Calcification NoticeSponsorFeb 13, 2026Became lawHealth(model)Approved by the Governor - Chapter 604 May 26, 2026
HB 1365Health Occupations, Public Health, and Insurance - Menopause - Provider Training Coverage Requirements, Policy Initiatives, and Access to CareSponsorFeb 13, 2026Became lawHealth(model)Approved by the Governor - Chapter 606 May 26, 2026
HB 1267Patuxent Research Refuge and Beltsville Agricultural Research Center - Zoning Classification (Protecting Patuxent Research Refuge Act)SponsorFeb 12, 2026Became lawPublic Lands and Natural Resources(model)Approved by the Governor - Chapter 541 May 12, 2026

Back to topNext: Online

Online

A site that changed 1 time in 90 days. Peña-Melnyk’s official site had 1 page when last crawled on Oct 1, 2026.

The lab crawls Peña-Melnyk’s official and campaign websites (weekly for Congress, monthly for the states) and keeps every page’s text, so changes can be read later; it also records social accounts and describes the images Peña-Melnyk posts with a vision model.

Websites

How to read the counts

“Pages crawled” is the size of the site at the last crawl; “changes in 90 days” counts pages whose text differed from the previous crawl. Sites change for many routine reasons, such as new press releases, so a high count is not by itself notable.

Images Peña-Melnyk posted

No images from Peña-Melnyk’s posts have been described.

About the descriptions

Written by a vision model and may be wrong. Open the post to see the original. Five are shown; the toggle shows the rest.

State floor speeches

No transcribed state floor speeches are matched to this legislator yet.

Floor speeches

Transcribed from chamber video or captions by the lab. They are not classified for kinds of statement.

Back to topNext: Methods and sources

Methods and sources

How this page was made. Profile built Oct 28, 2026; site last built Oct 28, 2026. Every number on the page is computed from the sources listed here, by the same rules for every official; nothing is written by hand.

The headline

The headline is the measure on which Peña-Melnyk is most unusual among State House Democrats, chosen by one rule for every official of every party. The candidates are the rate of each kind of statement and of extreme labels, party unity, attendance, the small-donor share, the in-state share and total receipts of the latest cycle, the share of sponsored bills that got out of committee, talk-to-bills agreement, and the CSIP score’s place within the party group.

The builder ranks every measure within the same peer group the page compares it with, and writes each official’s percentile: the share of the group below the value, ties counting half, so 0.5 is the median and a value shared by many never ranks first. A measure’s score is how far that percentile sits from the median (0 in the middle, 0.5 at either end), and the highest score leads if it is above 0.25, outside the middle half of the group. Scores within 0.03 of each other are a tie, broken in this order: votes against the party majority, kinds of statement, ideology, roll calls missed, small donations, in-state money, legislation, agreement, extreme labels, receipts.

A measure counts only with at least 200 statements, 100 roll calls or 5 sponsored bills behind it and a peer group of at least 10. Two things never lead: high party unity or attendance, where most members sit, and a high rate of a kind of statement backed by fewer than 10 statements. When nothing qualifies, the headline is a neutral fact instead: statements classified, or years in office. The wording always names the direction (“in the bottom 5% of …”, “votes against the majority of …”).

Identifiers

Profile id
366c0122-84a8-460e-bc98-93d4ca5f0176
Open States
ocd-person/366c0122-84a8-460e-bc98-93d4ca5f0176

Bulk files with the same data for every official:

Freshness of this profile’s data

  • What politicians sayOct 27, 20261 days agoMembers of Congress: tweets since 2017; press releases, newsletters and floor speeches since 2022. State legislators: tweets since May 2024. Governors: tweets since January 2025. Labels from an LLM classifier.
  • Roll calls (state)Oct 21, 20267 days agoOpen States floor roll calls, 2019 on (none for AK and MO).
  • Bills (state)Oct 28, 2026todayOpen States bills and sponsors, 2019 on; stages from roll calls.
  • Campaign money (state)no dateState campaign-finance agencies, 2019 on; aggregates only.
  • Ideology (CSIP)Oct 25, 20263 days agoCommon-Space Ideal Points (CSIP), current validated run.
  • WebsitesOct 25, 20263 days agoWeekly crawls of federal sites since April 2026; monthly state crawls since June 2026.
  • State floor speechesOct 21, 20267 days agoState floor speech turns (published transcripts and captions), 2020 on; not LLM-classified.

How the measures work

What politicians say
Every post, press release, newsletter and congressional floor speech is read by a language model and marked for personal attacks, policy criticism, policy discussion, bipartisanship and credit claiming. A statement can be in several. Rates are shares of statements in the window. The methods paper.
Extreme labels
A statement has an extreme label when it calls a politician, party or policy “far left”, “far right”, “MAGA”, “extreme”, “radical”, “woke”, “fascist” or “communist”. The target is who the label is aimed at.
Policy areas and agreement
Statements and bills share 25 Congressional Research Service policy areas (state bills are assigned by a language model). Agreement is 1 − Jensen–Shannon distance between the two distributions, shown with at least 20 policy statements and 5 bills.
Ideology (CSIP)
Common-Space Ideal Points place federal and state officials on one left–right scale, estimated jointly from roll calls, campaign contributions and the text of statements, with standard errors. Only a validated run is shown. The methods paper.
Campaign money
Campaigns report by name only donors who give more than $200 in a cycle; smaller gifts are reported as one total. Federal totals and the small-donor share come from the FEC’s financial summaries of each campaign committee. Donor counts, donor states, employers and occupations cover itemized donors only. State filings report no small-gift totals, so state figures are itemized only. The lab never publishes donor names.
Votes and key votes
Attendance, party unity and the count of votes against the majority of an official’s own party come from roll calls (Voteview for Congress, chamber records for the states). Key votes are final-passage or override votes that became law, were decided by under 10%, saw at least 10% of a party vote against its majority, or concerned one of the 25 bills most mentioned in officials’ statements.
Peers and ranks
Comparisons are with the same party, chamber and level (for example House Democrats); state legislators are compared within their state and chamber for votes. Every comparison names its group. Rank 1 is the highest value in the group; tied values share the average of their ranks, and the percentile is the share of the group below the value, ties counting half.

America’s Political Pulse · Polarization Research Lab

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