He was appointed by Governor Martin O'Malley to fill the vacancy created by Richard B. Weldon Jr.'s resignation.

[1] Prior to being appointed to the Maryland House of Delegates, Charles Jenkins was a member of the Board of County Commissioners in Frederick County, Maryland, a position he held since December 2006.

From 1983 until 1987 he was a member of the United States Navy serving as a cryptologist.

In 2018 he began All American Signs, a real estate service company installing sign posts & panels for Central Maryland Realtors.

Delegate Jenkins graduated from James Madison University in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in Russian Language.