Senator Dalya Attar Contact information

Dalya Attar, born on October 17, 1990, in Baltimore, Maryland, is an American politician and attorney. She is currently serving as a member of the Maryland Senate, representing the 41st district since January 24, 2025. Attar is a member of the Democratic Party and previously served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2019 to 2025.

Attar was born to an Iranian-Jewish father and a Moroccan-Jewish mother, making her a Sephardi Orthodox Jew. She grew up in Baltimore and attended the Bais Yaakov School for Girls. She later graduated from the University of Baltimore with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice in 2011. Attar then earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, in 2014.

During her time at the University of Baltimore, Attar worked as a paralegal for Greenspan, Hitzel & Schrader until 2015, when she became a trial attorney for the firm. In the same year, she also began working as an assistant state’s attorney in the Baltimore State’s Attorney office, where she prosecuted narcotics and firearms cases. Attar’s interest in criminal justice began in middle school, and she developed an interest in politics during high school. She has cited Joe Lieberman, Sarah Schenirer, and Karen Chaya Friedman as her role models.

In June 2017, Attar announced her candidacy for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 41. She ran on a platform focused on spurring development, improving schools, and reforming the juvenile justice system. Attar won the Democratic primary in June 2018, defeating incumbents Angela Gibson and Bilal Ali. She was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 9, 2019, becoming the first Orthodox Jew elected to the Maryland General Assembly and the highest-ranking Orthodox Jewish woman in American history.

During her tenure in the House of Delegates, Attar served on the Environment and Transportation Committee from 2019 to 2020 and later on the Ways and Means Committee until 2025. She also chaired the Local Revenues Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee from 2024 to 2025 and was a member of the Racing and Gaming Subcommittee, as well as the Election Law Subcommittee. Additionally, Attar served as the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Fair Practices and State Personnel Oversight from 2023 to 2025.

In January 2025, following the resignation of state senator Jill P. Carter, Attar applied to fill the remainder of Carter’s term in the Maryland Senate. The Baltimore City Democratic Central Committee voted to nominate Attar to the seat, and she was appointed by Governor Wes Moore. Attar was sworn in as a member of the Maryland Senate on January 24, 2025, becoming the youngest member of the Senate at that time.

Throughout her career, Attar has been an advocate for various issues, including education, public safety, and community development. She is a member of the Women Legislators of Maryland and the Maryland Legislative Jewish Caucus. Attar is married and has two children.