Harry Freeman (Maryland)
Harry Freeman (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Maryland House of Delegates to represent District 31B. Freeman lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Freeman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Maryland House of Delegates District 31B (Historical) (2 seats)
Brian Chisholm and incumbent Nicholaus Kipke defeated Karen Simpson and Harry Freeman in the general election for Maryland House of Delegates District 31B (Historical) on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Brian Chisholm (R) | 33.2 | 20,573 |
| ✔ |  | Nicholaus Kipke (R) | 33.0 | 20,434 |
 | Karen Simpson (D) | 18.2 | 11,257 | |
 | Harry Freeman (D)  | 15.5 | 9,602 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 49 | ||
| Total votes: 61,915 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 31B (Historical) (2 seats)
Karen Simpson and Harry Freeman advanced from the Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 31B (Historical) on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Karen Simpson | 52.4 | 3,184 |
| ✔ | | Harry Freeman | 47.6 | 2,894 |
| Total votes: 6,078 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 31B (Historical) (2 seats)
Incumbent Nicholaus Kipke and Brian Chisholm defeated John Leopold and David Therrien in the Republican primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 31B (Historical) on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nicholaus Kipke | 43.2 | 4,579 |
| ✔ | | Brian Chisholm | 38.9 | 4,119 |
| John Leopold | 9.7 | 1,030 | ||
| David Therrien | 8.1 | 863 | ||
| Total votes: 10,591 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Harry Freeman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Freeman's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
1. Single-Payer Universal Healthcare 2. Fully Funding Maryland Schools 3. Instituting an Independent Commission to redraw Gerrymandered Districts.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
1. I do support a healthcare for all, and it is very important to understand how we are going to pay for an effort this large and complex. Our government needs to increase its revenue. The era of large blanket tax cuts have to come to an end. Now, this does not mean we are going to raise taxes on the entire population of Maryland, it means we have be smart about how we do it. As you know, earlier this year there was a massive tax cut passed by our Federal government. Steps that can occur immediately are: 1. Undo the Estate Tax repeal; 2. Have a tiered tax system that raises the corporate tax rate based on size and revenue of the corporation; 3.Close "pass-through" loopholes; 4.Understand the empirical data on Value Added Taxation vs. Sales Tax; 5. Increase the Earned Income Tax Credit; 6. Ensure that those who have benefited most from our financial system contribute more to the system that brought them their wealth. 2. I stand firm on legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use--with the same oversight and monitoring as the sale and distribution of alcohol. This is an untapped economic engine that will help bring an estimated $800M a year to the Maryland budget. Not only will this legalization bring additional revenue, but medical marijuana can be used to bring attention to the opioid issues as an alternative to pain medication. And, this legalization will end a ridiculous culture war on minorities and the poor that is a result of our failed war on drugs that has been going on for decades. 3. Gerrymandering: There is no obvious boundary that showcases an organic sense of community when looking at the district maps. Governor Hogan has raised concerns about this issue for years. As a Democrat running for office, I will be the first to say that the Democrats in Annapolis have blocked Gov. Hogan's effort to reform our districts. To me, this is a tacit endorsement of politicians picking their voters, rather than the electorate picking their politicians. When we allow our politicians to draw districts to benefit them, we effectively leave Marylanders out to dry without effective representation. Whoever is a part of the political minority in these districts will continue to be under-represented until this critical factor in our broken democracy is fixed.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
The people who inspire me are those who stand up for what they believe in. Those who believe in something greater than themselves attract a genuine authenticity. I don't have an individual I look up to--I don't wish to live my life in the manner of anyone else. We are individuals, and should be admired as unique in our ways.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
Reading is very important to me. I've been asked many times over throughout my life, who would you like to meet that isn't alive anymore? Well, through reading we can meet the likes of Newton, Shakespeare, DaVinci, Democritus, Lucretius, Spinoza, Hawkings, Feynman, MLK, Baldwin, and countless others through their writings. Some books to recommend: Martin Luther King, Jr's, Why We Can't Wait; Stephen Hawkings', A Brief History of Time; Simon Sinek's, Leaders Eat Last.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Selfless Service, Honesty, Integrity, Respect.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I served in our military during the longest running war in our nation's history. What service members essentially do is write a blank check for up to, and including one's own life. I have served our country honorably as a Soldier in the United States Army. I will continue this service to the State of Maryland, and all who call - and wish to call - this great state home.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Core responsibilities are essentially to: 1. Create Opportunities; 2. Protect Opportunities; 3. Erase Opportunities. Our message is to solely focus on Creating and Protecting opportunities that benefit the people of Maryland.
What legacy would you like to leave?
I want to know that the Maryland I've worked hard to strengthen and progress is primed so that my son, and the future generations of all Marylanders, can inherit a society we can all be proud of.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
Personal History: I remember my recovery from open heart surgery at the age of 3 in 1988. Social History: Earliest memory of a major historic event was the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the inauguration of President G.H.W. Bush.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
My very first job was as a trumpet player making my holiday rounds during Easter Sunday in Miami, FL at the age of 15.
What happened on your most awkward date?
I was a student in my undergraduate studies at the University of South Florida. I found the opportunity to go on a date with a wonderful woman. I've never been to a sushi restaurant, or eaten it in my life, but I knew she liked it. I looked at the menu and thought to myself, "Wow, this stuff is incredibly expensive!" I thought a 'roll' was a single piece at the time, so I wound up ordering about 12 'rolls' - she only ordered 2 - I wondered if she was going to be hungry - she said if she's hungry she'll have some of mine. I laughed, because I was starving and thought I was only to receive about a dozen pieces. Well, to my surprise, there was an army of servers coming to our table, and I was immediately embarrassed with the amount of food that arrived, but it didn't end there. One of the rolls I ordered was a "Mexican Roll" which was placed right in front of me. I saw this beautiful green flower on my plate, so I thought, "Man, this is all the guac I get for all this food?" So, I went to put the entire flower of 'guac' on a tiny piece of my Mexican roll. I didn't even noticed my date's face, but I threw the piece in my mouth, and I was quickly introduced to this demon called Wasabi. The sounds and faces that came from me were wholly embarrassing, but after an eternity of suffering from this bout with wasabi, our evening ended almost as quickly as it began.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
My son's birthday. He's only 4 years old, but he gets so happy on his birthday I feel like it's everyone's birthday!
What is your favorite book? Why?
Simon Sinek's, Leaders Eat Last. Why? The answer is written in the title of the book. There is a common trait among true leaders, and it is that true leaders selflessly serve and sacrifice their personal interests so others may gain. I have adopted this approach to everything I do from Parenting to Campaigning, and everything in-between.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
- State legislative elections, 2018
- Maryland House of Delegates elections, 2018
- Maryland House of Delegates
External links
Footnotes
