Maryland Senate Republicans Select Brinkley as Minority Leader

State Sen. David Brinkley (R-Frederick County) has been selected minority leader by the GOP caucus, according to the Washington Post.

Brinkley was first elected to the state Senate in 2002 and previously served as minority leader between in 2007 and 2008, according to his Maryland Manual website.

During the 2013 Maryland General Assembly session, Brinkley voted against the repeal of the death penalty, against new gun control measures and against an increase of the state’s gas tax, according to Project Vote Smart.   

But Brinkley, who was diagnosed with cancer in 1989 and 1995, has been a supporter of legalizing medical Marijuana. He has previously introduced legislation with Del. Dan Morhaim (D-Baltimore County) to allow for very ill patients to buy the drug.

"I don’t believe that people who are, you know, trying to gain some relief, whether it’s acceptable for everybody else or not, should be prosecuted. Especially if a doctors says 'Yeah, this can help, or it can’t hurt,'" Brinkley told the Carroll County Times in 2010.