Steinberg was elected to the Maryland Senate in 1966, later becoming the vice chair of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee until 1978. He became the president of the Senate Finance Committee in 1978 after cutting a deal with
James Clark Jr., who successfully ran for
president of the Maryland Senate after
Steny Hoyer opted to
run for lieutenant governor with
Blair Lee III. He defeated Clark to become president of the Maryland Senate in 1982, mounting a campaign backed by state senators
Thomas V. Miller Jr. and
Clarence W. Blount. During his presidency, he was a key player in addressing a number of crises in the state, including the savings and loan crisis triggered by the failure of
Old Court Savings and Loans. and extensive coverage being devoted to their personal relationship. Despite their differences, they worked together for eight years (1987–1995), winning two elections in the process. Steinberg
ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1994, launching his campaign pledging a war on crime. He was defeated in the Democratic primary by
Parris Glendening, who went on to become governor, after only managing to secure third place with 15% of the vote. Steinberg then took up a career in lobbying. In 1998, he drew criticism for supporting the Republican candidate for governor,
Ellen Sauerbrey, rather than endorsing Glendening in his bid for re-election; Sauerbrey was a critic of abortion and of gun control, positions opposite those held by Steinberg. In 2018, he again endorsed the Republican nominee for governor, incumbent
Larry Hogan, over the Democratic nominee,
Ben Jealous. ==Personal life and death==