Young Democrats of Maryland

Bobby returned from Europe and became immersed in the 1994 local elections. As a College Democrat at Hopkins, Bobby had helped organize in the 1992 Presidential campaign for Bill Clinton. In 1994, Bobby coordinated a local race for County Council. Gaining valuable campaign experience, Bobby quickly became involved in the Young Democrats of Maryland, a group with a rich history, but in search of new leadership. In November of 1994, Bobby was elected President of the Young Democrats of Maryland, and immediately set out to build a strong organization around the state. In a single year, the new Young Dems helped to create 35 new county and university chapters, registered scores of new voters, created a youth rapid response network, and lobbied the new Governor on several important pieces of legislation. The Young Democrats of Maryland continue to thrive today under new energetic leadership. As a Maryland State Delegate, Bobby maintains his strong commitment to building youth activism across our state.

Speech at the Democratic National Convention

As a first year law student at Georgetown, Bobby created the 'Democratic Youth Bus Tour.' The tour was modeled after a successful Maryland tour that Bobby directed as President of the Young Democrats. In the summer of 1996, Bobby led a group of young people on a 40 state, 80 day, 18,000 mile campaign trip around the nation for the re-election of President Bill Clinton. In each state, events were held to attract and register young voters. The successful tour caught the attention of local and national media, and became a main part of the Democratic youth outreach for the 1996 Presidential election. At the end of the tour, Bobby's efforts were recognized and he was asked to deliver a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Bobby delivered a prime-time, nationally televised speech on the first night of the Convention.

1998 Race for Delegate

The national tour provided the spark for Bobby's run for the House of Delegates. He returned from the trip with fresh ideas from around the nation, and wished to bring youth and excitement to a lackluster political system. In the Summer of 1997, with college-aged Campaign Manager Jon Kellner and a large group of citizens of the 11th District on hand, Bobby announced his intention to seek a seat in the House of Delegates. Stressing issues such as class size reduction and a stronger public school system, high-technology community libraries, stronger environmental protection, greater access to affordable health care, safer communities through reasonable regulations on gun ownership, and a need to reform the State's broken child welfare systems, Bobby vowed to carry his message of excitement and hope to residents in every corner of the 11th District in an intense door-to-door campaign. Thousands of doors later, residents of the 11th District elected Bobby to represent their views and concerns in the Maryland House of Delegates. Bobby was the second youngest legislator in Maryland's General Assembly when the gavel dropped for the beginning of his first Session. Bobby took his seat besides friends and 11th District colleagues Dan Morhaim and Mike Finifter.

A Strong First Term

Bobby was appointed to the Judiciary Committe of the House of Delegates under the Chairmanship of Delegate Joe Vallario (D-Prince George's County), and served with Delegate Ken Montague on the Juvenile Law Subcommittee. The Judiciary Committee deals with issues including criminal law, juvenile justice, estates and trusts, civil procedure, drunk driving, drug addiction, domestic violence, child welfare, tort reform, and a host of controversial issues including gun control, assisted suicide, the death penalty, and abortion rights. Bobby introduced a variety of bills on many different topics, and focused his attention on K-12 class size reduction, summer education for at-risk youth, and juvenile justice issues. Then-Speaker Cas Taylor called the Freshman class of 1998 the "Whiz Kids" and Bobby quickly established himself within the talented class. Bobby's first term was a tremendous success with a variety of legislative accomplishment on state and local issues.

Successful Re-Election in 2002

After a successful four years fighting for residents of the 11th District, Bobby ran for re-election to the House of Delegates. Once again, the youth of the area came out in huge numbers, working the campaign streets like seasoned veterans under Campaign Managers Dave Frenkil, Brendan Schreiber, and Sarah David. Bobby's close friend and colleague Mike Finifter had been appointed to serve as Judge on the Circuit Court of Baltimore County, leaving an open seat. A large field of contenders emerged. After a hot summer of door knocking, parades, lawn signs, bumper stickers, street waving, and shaking hands, Bobby emerged victorious in his re-election not only as the top vote-getter in the District, but also top in the State. The campaign boasted not only of the normal campaign events, but also of concerts with Mayor Martin O'Malley, karaoke and pool parties, get-out-the-vote efforts, voter registration, and so on. The campaign was a tremendous success.

The Second Term

Bobby returned to the House of Delegates in 2002 as a veteran in the Judicary Committee. Many Committee members had either lost re-election, moved on to the State Senate, moved to a different legislative Committee, or had taken jobs in the new administration of Governor Bob Ehrlich. When Delegate Ken Montague was appointed Secretary of Juvenile Justice, Bobby was asked to serve as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Juvenile Law, working on the important reform of child welfare in our state. Bobby has tackled that enormous challenge, and in the 2003 and 2004 Sessions, had tremendous legislative success beginning the long-needed reform. In addition, Bobby has achieved success working with his colleagues on local issues including giant steps toward a much-needed Middle School in Owings Mills and development of a library, community college, and technology center in the coming Town Center at the Owings Mills Metro. In addition, Bobby is working very closely with 11th District colleague Dr. Dan Morhaim on the important issue of medical malpractice tort reform. Bobby is committed to sensible legal reform to relieve pressure from our State's healthcare professionals, and continues to work tirelessly for a more sensible legal structure in dealing with medical errors.

State Senator
Bobby was successfully elected to the Maryland State Senate in 2006 thanks to the help of his many supporters. As a freshman in the Senate, Bobby was the lead sponsor of 21 bills and served on the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee. He also served on numerous subcommittees, including the Environment Subcommittee, the Ethics and Election Law Subcommittee, the Special Committee on Renewables and Clean Energy, the Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, the Joint Subcommittee on Program Open Space and Agricultural Land Preservation, and the Special Committee on Substance Abuse. He continues to be the leading advocate for juvenile service reform in the state, and has been a fierce advocate for Maryland's schools. Bobby has also emerged as a leader on important issues in criminal justice and the environment.

The Private Sector

The Maryland General Assembly is a part-time Legislature meeting for 90 days out of the year. Bobby Zirkin works tirelessly throughout the year for his constituents. In the private sector, Senator Zirkin works as an attorney at the Law Offices of Bobby Zirkin, headquartered in Baltimore.

On to the Future

As a member of the Maryland Senate, Bobby brings passion, energy, experience, and integrity to his work. He continues to inspire the young generation with his constant presence in the schools and hard work on education, juvenile justice, and child welfare. Bobby welcomes input from his constituents and works tirelessly to reach out for greater communication. Bobby is a tireless advocate for the 11th District and Baltimore County and is truly making a difference in the community and for our State.