Draft:LaToya Nkongolo
LaToya Nkongolo | |
|---|---|
| Member-elect of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 31st district | |
| Assuming office January 2025 | |
| Appointed by | Wes Moore |
| Succeeding | Rachel Muñoz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1978 or 1979 (age 45–46) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Bamoyo (m. 2002) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Delaware State University (BA) University of Maryland, Baltimore (MA) Springfield College (MA) |
| Occupation | Mental health professional |
LaToya Nkongolo (born 1978 or 1979)[1] is an American politician who is the member-designate to the Maryland House of Delegates from the 31st district. A member of the Republican Party, she unsuccessfully ran for the Anne Arundel County Board of Education in 2024, losing to incumbent school board member Dana Schallheim.
Early life and career
[edit]Nkongolo was born in Wilmington, Delaware.[2] She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in social work from Delaware State University, a Master of Arts degree in social work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and a master's in organizational management from Springfield College.[3]
Nkongolo has been a licensed therapist for over 25 years and runs her own mental health facility, Work Life Behavioral Health.[4] previously worked as the family program supervisor for Anne Arundel Medical Center until 2014, when she was hired as the deputy executive director of Nick's Place, a drug and alcohol treatment center.[5] She was involved with many of Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh's opioid abuse prevention campaigns[4][6] and served on the transition team of Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman in 2018.[4] As of 2024, Nkongolo is an adjunct professor at Anne Arundel Community College and operates a family wellness workshop at Anne Arundel Medical Center.[7]
In 2022, Nkongolo ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 31B on a platform of "Christian, conservative values" that included support for children's mental health following the COVID-19 pandemic and opposition to school shutdowns and COVID-19 pandemic-related mandates.[1] She was defeated in the Republican primary election by the district's three incumbents, Nic Kipke, Brian Chisholm, and Rachel Muñoz.[8] Following her defeat, Nkongolo helped organize a "Unite the Right" rally with Kimberly Klacik to support statewide Republican candidates, including Dan Cox,[9] but withdrew from the event after the Baltimore Jewish Council said that the event's name marked the first time the name "Unite the Right" was used for an event since the Unite the Right rally in 2017.[10]
In 2024, Nkongolo ran for the Anne Arundel County Board of Education. During her campaign, she aligned herself closely with Moms for Liberty, supporting initiatives to restrict books in school libraries, increase parental control over school curriculum in areas regarding gender identity and sex education,[11][12] and ban transgender students from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity.[13] At a fundraiser in June, Nkongolo characterized the school system as an "institution of grooming" and that its pro-LGBTQ policies are “causing mental illness”, also voicing opposition to gender neutral bathrooms and transgender athletes.[14] In October 2024, she accused her opponent, Dana Schalleheim, who is Jewish, of using Yom Kippur as an excuse to avoid attending a candidate forum; Schallheim rejected Nkongolo's accusations, saying that she told forum moderators weeks in advance that she would not attend the forum and calling Nkongolo's claims "antisemitic".[15] Schallheim defeated Nkongolo in the general election on November 5, 2024, and conceded the night of the election.[16]
Maryland House of Delegates
[edit]In December 2024, after Rachel Muñoz announced that she would resign from the Maryland House of Delegates, Nkongolo applied to fill the remainder of her term in the Maryland House of Delegates.[3] The Anne Arundel County Republican Central Committee voted to nominate Nkongolo to the seat in January 2025.[17]
Personal life
[edit]Nkongolo married her husband, Bamoyo, on February 14, 2002.[18] Together, they have a daughter[19] and live in Severna Park, Maryland.[7]
On January 28, 2024, Nkongolo was arrested and charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol, driving while impaired by alcohol, as well as several vehicle-related charges due to the damaged condition of her car. She plead guilty to negligent driving while all alcohol-related charges were later dropped by state prosecutors.[20]
Electoral history
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Nic Kipke (incumbent) | 8,764 | 33.0 | |
| Republican | Brian Chisholm (incumbent) | 8,261 | 31.1 | |
| Republican | Rachel Muñoz (incumbent) | 7,067 | 26.6 | |
| Republican | LaToya Nkongolo | 2,465 | 9.3 | |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dana Schallheim (incumbent) | 9,699 | 63.96% | |
| LaToya Nkongolo | 3,853 | 25.41% | |
| Tareque O. Farruk | 1,612 | 10.63% | |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dana Schallheim (incumbent) | 26,293 | 60.70% | |
| LaToya Nkongolo | 16,664 | 38.47% | |
| Write-in | 356 | 0.82% | |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Parker, Luke (January 31, 2024). "Police: District 5 school board candidate cited for DUI". The Gazette. Retrieved January 4, 2025 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "LaToya Nkongolo". Ballotpedia. July 17, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
- ^ a b Jones, Natalie (December 27, 2024). "Three GOP candidates apply for soon-to-be vacant District 31 seat in House of Delegates". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ a b c Jeffries, Brian (September 13, 2023). "Nkongolo challenges for school board seat". The Gazette. Retrieved January 4, 2025 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Nick's Place hires LaToya Nkongolo". The Baltimore Sun. March 18, 2014. p. C3. Retrieved January 4, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Campaign aims to educate public about dangers of opioids". The Baltimore Sun. February 28, 2016. p. B6. Retrieved January 4, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Jeffries, Brian (February 21, 2024). "Newcomers crowd race for 7 seats". The Gazette. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ Munro, Dana (July 26, 2022). "Nine primary races to watch in Anne Arundel County as ballot counting continues". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ DePuyt, Bruce (October 10, 2022). "Cox withdraws from 'Unite the Right' event after Jewish group raises concerns". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ DePuyt, Bruce; Kurtz, Josh (October 13, 2022). "Political notes: Can marijuana ballot question boost turnout? Plus, 'Unite the Right' changes its name, and more". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ Hacker, Kiersten (November 10, 2024). "Candidates associated with Moms for Liberty see success in area". The Baltimore Sun. p. A003. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ Janesch, Sam; Goodwin Smith, Thomas (March 17, 2024). "Md. poised to lead fight against book bans at schools, libraries". The Gazette. Retrieved January 4, 2025 – via ProQuest.
LaToya Nkongolo, who said the role of adults and teachers is to keep children innocent for as long as possible, and if certain topics are not deemed suitable, they should be restricted until the children are better able to deal with the material.
- ^ Byrne, Bridget (November 24, 2024). "Trans people were a hot topic during the Anne Arundel Board of Education race. Here's how they felt". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ Gonzalez, Jeff (October 5, 2024). "Students object to adjunct's remarks". Campus Current. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
- ^ Byrne, Bridget (October 12, 2024). "School board candidates in flap over debate". The Gazette. Retrieved January 4, 2025 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Byrne, Bridget (November 6, 2024). "Teacher union endorsed Board of Education candidates win in most Anne Arundel districts". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ Kurtz, Josh (January 4, 2025). "Anne Arundel Democrats recommend Del. Henson to replace Elfreth in state Senate". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ "LaToya Nkongolo wedding message". The News Journal. February 14, 2002. p. 37. Retrieved January 4, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Victoria Nkongolo, daughter of Bamoyo and LaToya Nkongolo". The News Journal. January 28, 2007. p. 127. Retrieved January 4, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Parker, Luke (March 19, 2024). "Board of Education candidate LaToya Nkongolo pleads guilty to negligent driving; alcohol-related charges dropped". Capital Gazette. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
- ^ "Official 2022 Gubernatorial Primary Election Results for House of Delegates". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ "Official 2024 Presidential Primary Election Results for Anne Arundel County". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ "Official 2024 Presidential General Election Results for Anne Arundel County". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 4, 2025.