With Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne A. Jones resigning from her leadership post, delegates will need to elect a new leader to preside over the chamber as they face challenging issues including redistricting and a budget deficit.

Jones will remain in her position as a delegate representing a district on Baltimore County’s west side. She’s pledged to mentor and guide the next speaker.

Democratic delegates will meet Dec. 16 to nominate a new speaker. The winner will need to persuade the majority of the 102-member Democratic caucus in order to win the speakership.

No one immediately announced plans to run for speaker, but there are several contenders, who have built leadership experience and cultivated allies in the chamber. All, like Jones, are in the Democratic majority.

Here’s a short list of who might be in the running to be the next speaker.

Del. Ben Barnes, Appropriations Committee chair

Barnes, 50, has been in the thick of the toughest debates in Annapolis the past few years over the state budget, serving as Jones’ chief representative in negotiations with the Senate and Gov. Wes Moore. He’s a fierce defender of the House’s position in budget negotiations.

He’s also served on the Judiciary and Economic Matters committees, giving him a broad view of policy issues.

His district includes parts of Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties. He is a lawyer.

Del. C.T. Wilson, Economic Matters Committee chair

Wilson is best known in Annapolis for his persistent advocacy for survivors of child sexual abuse. The resulting law, the Child Victims Act, expands the ability of survivors to sue institutions that employed or enabled their abusers, including schools, churches and juvenile detention centers.

But Wilson, 53, also steers a committee that handles complex litigation related to businesses and utilities. He oversaw the effort to set up a taxation and licensing structure for the state’s cannabis industry.

A military veteran and lawyer who is a passionate debater, Wilson represents a district in Charles County.

Del. Marc Korman, Environment and Transportation Committee chair

Korman has built his chops on the policy side — with expertise on the budget, transportation and the environment — and the political side, as the former Democratic majority leader.

He also helped lead a legislative investigation of Roy McGrath, who negotiated himself a lucrative payout when he left an independent state agency to become former Gov. Larry Hogan’s chief of staff in 2020 and was later criminally charged.

Korman, 44, represents a district in Montgomery County and is a lawyer.

Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk, Health and Government Operations Committee chair

Peña-Melnyk has spent her entire House career leading the committee known as HGO, becoming its chair in 2022.

She has amassed significant expertise in health policy. She has championed immigrants’ rights and policies advancing racial equity.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Peña-Melnyk, 59, immigrated to the U.S. with her sister and single mother. She was the first in her family to attend college and became a lawyer.

She represents the same Prince George’s-Anne Arundel district as Barnes.

Del. Luke Clippinger, Judiciary Committee chair

Clippinger handles some of the most contentious and difficult legislation as chair of the Judiciary Committee, including gun control, child abuse and juvenile justice. He leads hearings that can stretch for hours filled with difficult testimony.

Clippinger, 53, lives in Baltimore but works as an assistant state’s attorney prosecuting cases in Anne Arundel County.

On the less serious side, Clippinger sends birthday cards to his constituents and plays a convincing Santa in his neighborhood.

Del. Vanessa Atterbeary, Ways and Means Committee chair

Atterbeary launched a campaign for Howard County executive instead of running for reelection next year, making it unlikely she will make a move for the speakership. She would have until late February to change her mind if she wanted to remain in the House.

When she announced her county executive campaign this fall, Atterbeary told the website Maryland Matters she once had considered a run for speaker if Jones retired but felt her time in the House “has come to an end.”

Her Ways and Means Committee handles a wide variety of legislation, including education, election policy, gambling, horse racing and taxes. Outside of politics, Atterbeary, 50, is a lawyer.

Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland chair

Wilkins, 37, has powered the Legislative Black Caucus — believed to be the largest caucus of its kind in the nation — to even more prominence in the State House, taking on issues ranging from studying reparations to reforming juvenile justice.

She’s also vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee and formerly was the House of Delegates parliamentarian — which means she knows her way around a debate and how to leverage the official rules of the House.

Wilkins represents a district in Montgomery County and works for the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

Del. David Moon, majority leader

Moon was once a political blogger who published progressive posts. Now he is the majority leader of the House, coordinating Democrats’ strategy for legislative debates and making sure the speaker’s priorities pass.

Moon, 46, serves on the Judiciary Committee but also has been an influential voice on tax issues, including last session, when he proposed a 2.5% tax on certain business-to-business services. The year before, he suggested applying the 6% sales tax to all services. Neither passed, but they jolted the tax conversation forward.

Moon also made a splash this summer as an early proponent of redrawing the state’s congressional districts to counter Republican map-drawing in other states. That matter remains unresolved.

Moon represents a Montgomery County district — the same district as Wilkins — and works as a progressive political consultant.

Del. Jazz Lewis, majority whip

A protégé of longtime U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, Lewis has steadily climbed the ranks in Annapolis.

As majority whip, he works alongside Moon, planning floor debates and tracking support for key legislation. He keeps his vote counts on a whiteboard in his House of Delegates office.

Lewis, 36, is soft-spoken and close to Jones, whom he called “one of the best legislative leaders in our state’s history.”

Lewis represents a district in Prince George’s County and works for the Blue Green Alliance which connects labor groups and environmentalists to work on climate policy.

Del. Emily Shetty, Democratic Caucus chair

As Democratic Caucus chair since 2023, Shetty is the wrangler of the sprawling group of 102 delegates who air their varying interests and priorities in weekly closed-door strategy meetings during the legislative session.

Jones said Shetty, 41, will preside over the speaker vote, an indication that she is unlikely to seek the position herself.

Shetty also serves on the Appropriations Committee and chairs a subcommittee that handles health and social services issues. Representing a Montgomery County district, Shetty is a lawyer and teaches public policy at the University of Maryland.

Correction: This article has been updated to correct information about Del. Jazz Lewis’s job.