Caucus. She also accused her opponent, Republican Christian Miele, of being a carpetbagger, noting that he previously represented Baltimore County in the Maryland House of Delegates before moving to Harford County. James defeated Miele in a tight general election on November 8, receiving 50.55 percent of the vote to Miele's 49.24 percent, or by a margin of 591 votes out of 45,223 votes cast. She is set to become the first Democrat to represent District 34 in the Maryland Senate since 1994. Tenure James was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 11, 2023. She is a member of the Judicial Proceedings Committee and the Executive Nominations Committee. Personal life James was married to her husband, Brian Feeney, before the two divorced. Together, they had three children and lived in Havre de Grace, Maryland. On September 30, 2018, James' daughter, Evelyn Ann James Feeney, suddenly died. This led to James stopping all campaign activities leading up to the general election. Political positions While in the Maryland House of Delegates, James was considered a moderate to conservative Democrat. In January 2012, she formed a Blue Dog caucus in the state legislature along with other centrist Democratic members of the Maryland House of Delegates. Energy In February 2013, James voted for a bill that would allow a surcharge of up to $2 a month on residential natural gas bills to pay for new pipelines and distribution system upgrades. The bill passed the Maryland House of Delegates by a vote of 119-18, and later passed the state senate by a vote of 34-13. Gun control During the 2013 legislative session, James was one of 18 Democratic state delegates to vote against the Firearm Safety Act of 2013, a bill that placed restrictions on firearm purchases and magazine capacity in semi-automatic rifles. Healthcare In April 2014, James expressed concerns regarding the state's overhaul of its health exchange to adopt technology from the Connecticut's health exchange program, saying that there were "huge budgetary implications" in switching to the Connecticut model. Social issues In 2005, James was one of 36 Democratic state delegates to vote for a bill that would legalize slot machines at four locations in the state. The bill passed the House of Delegates by a 71-66 vote. In 2006, James voted for a bill that would create a ballot referendum to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland. The bill failed to pass out of