Shavonne Hedgepeth

Shavonne Hedgepeth earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2021, a graduate degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2023, and a graduate degree from Cornell University in 2025. Her career experience includes working as a project manager.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Today, I sit every day at the intersection of complex problems and real solutions at the country's $11 billion portfolio of public assets at WMATA, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. I know how federal funding moves, where it gets stuck, and how to make it land in communities that need it. I have published peer-reviewed research connecting federal policy to real community outcomes. I understand that budgets are moral documents, and that the gap between what Congress promises and what families actually receive is not an accident. It is a choice. I am running to make a different one. Maryland's Fourth District is the wealthiest majority-Black congressional district in the United States. It deserves a representative who matches its ambition; someone who does not just show up at election time but delivers on infrastructure, healthcare access, housing, food security, schools, and the federal workforce families that anchor this economy. I am not a performer. I am a planner, a researcher, and a problem solver. I lead with Hope + Hustle; optimism grounded in action, vision paired with execution. Every promise I make comes with a blueprint for how to achieve it.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am running because the families of Maryland's Fourth District deserve a representative who actually delivers; someone who shows up, does the work, and can point to results. Hope + Hustle isn't just my slogan. It is how I have operated my entire career, and it is exactly what this district needs in Washington. The rising costs of housing, healthcare, groceries, and utilities are not just policy problems; they are the daily reality for families across our district. We are the wealthiest majority-Black congressional district in the country, and too many of our neighbors are still one emergency away from crisis.Every day in my career, I sit at the intersection of complex problems and real solutions, translating billion-dollar challenges into funded, executable plans. I work on a team that manages an $11 billion portfolio of public assets, and I know how federal dollars move, where they get stuck, and how to make them land in communities that actually need them. I am running to close the gap between what Congress promises and what families receive. Federal workers are the backbone of this district, and right now they are under attack. Thousands of our households depend on federal employment, and the systematic dismantling of the civil service is not just a workplace issue; it is an economic emergency for our community. I will fight to protect federal workers, defend their rights, and push back against any administration that treats public servants as expendable. High property taxes are a symptom of a deeper problem: our communities are shouldering costs that federal investment should be helping to carry. When Congress fails to fund transit, infrastructure, and schools adequately, local governments pass that burden on to homeowners. I am running to change that equation and make sure

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

We cannot hold space for passion when voting rights are being stripped from so many Americans. Before any other issue can be addressed, people must have the power to choose who represents them. I will always fight to protect and expand access to the ballot; full stop. That said, the work that drives me every day lives at the intersection of infrastructure, equity, and community investment. I believe deeply that public dollars are a moral instrument; that how we build, fund, and maintain systems tells communities exactly how much we value them.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Fannie Lou Hamer, Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler, and Lauren Underwood

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Accountability without caveats. Proximity to the problem. The ability to sit with complexity. Courage over comfort.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibility of a Member of Congress is deceptively simple: deliver for the people who sent you there. Everything else flows from that. That requires strategy. It requires courage and grit. It requires integrity, not as a personality trait but as an operating principle. It requires the ability to pivot; the legislative landscape is never static. It requires understanding the risk of inaction. It requires presence and proximity. You cannot represent a community you are not genuinely connected to.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That constituents trusted government a little more when you left than when you arrived, because you earned it. That MD-04 finally had a representative who matched its ambition, and that the delivery gap became a closed chapter, not a defining feature of this district.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

The Oath of Office, Run Sister Run, Citizens' Impeachment

What was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember?

The response following the Rodney King verdict.

Note: Hedgepeth submitted the above survey responses to [the profile publisher] on June 2, 2026.

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December 24 submission

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am an implementation candidate.

I focus on execution, not just ideas. I manage complex public investments and work on the details, budgets, timelines, risk, and accountability, so policy actually turns into results. From ideation to project closeout.Federal funding must lead to real outcomes in District 4.

I’m running to make sure federal dollars become housing, jobs, schools, and infrastructure that allow families to live, work, and stay in the district. That means aligning funding with development readiness and follow-through.I will never come to you with a problem without a solution.

My approach to leadership is grounded in preparation, accountability, and action. I believe residents deserve clear plans, honest tradeoffs, and leaders who are ready to done.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I’m most passionate about public policy that turns investment into real, measurable improvements in people’s lives.

That includes infrastructure and capital planning, especially making sure federal dollars are aligned with local readiness so communities actually benefit from funding. I care deeply about housing and economic development policy.

I’m also passionate about budget transparency and accountability. Budgets are a moral document, and rebuilding public trust depends on people knowing where money goes, why decisions are made, and whether promised outcomes are delivered.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

RUN SISTER RUN and The Oath of Office