Chanel Branch

Chanel Branch (born February 6, 1980) is an American politician who represented the 45th legislative district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2020 to 2023. Governor Larry Hogan appointed Branch mid-term in January 2020 after a controversy with the previous office holder had forced them to resign. In 2022, Branch ran for the office during the normal election cycle and lost.

Background Branch was born on February 6, 1980, in Baltimore, Maryland, where she graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. She attended Baltimore City Community College and the TESST College of Technology. Since 2019, she has been a member of Safe Streets and Mothers of Murdered Sons & Daughters. Branch dropped out of the race for the Baltimore City Council on February 4, 2020.

Maryland House of Delegates In January 2020, after the resignation of Delegate Cheryl Glenn following federal corruption charges, Branch applied to fill the seat vacated by Glenn in the Maryland House of Delegates. The Baltimore City Democratic Central Committee voted to recommend Branch to the seat, with three members, including herself, voting for Branch and the other four members split among three other candidates. Following this incident, 45th District residents delivered a letter to Baltimore Democratic leaders, alleging that the process of filling a House of Delegates vacancy violated party bylaws and the Maryland Open Meetings Act. The letter called for Governor Hogan and the Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee to reject the nomination and do the vote over. Nevertheless, Governor Hogan appointed Branch to the Maryland House of Delegates on January 28, 2020. She lost the Democratic primary on July 19, 2022, finishing fourth behind Caylin Young, who had bested her by 116 votes. Branch again ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in 2026, this time placing third in the Democratic primary and edging out incumbent Stephanie M. Smith by 306 votes.

Political positions During the 2022 legislative session, Branch introduced a bill to establish specialized gun courts in Baltimore to expedite some firearm cases and, when appropriate, offer resources and support services instead of incarceration.

Electoral history