Maryland gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (June 26 Democratic primary)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 16
- Early voting: Oct. 25 - Nov. 1
- Absentee voting deadline: Postmark Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Only during early voting period
- Voter ID: No ID required generally
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
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| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Maryland |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: February 27, 2018 |
| Primary: June 26, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent(s): Gov. Larry Hogan (Republican) Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford (Republican) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Maryland |
| Race ratings |
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Republican Inside Elections: Likely Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2018 Impact of term limits in 2018 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
| Maryland executive elections |
| Governor |
Former NAACP President Ben Jealous (D) defeated Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker III (D) and six other candidates in Maryland's June 26, 2018, Democratic gubernatorial primary. Jealous received 39.6 percent of the vote to Baker's 29.4 percent. Jealous advanced to the state's November 6, 2018, general election.
Citing similarities to the race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, Mother Jones identified this election as one of the seven Democratic primaries in 2018 that would shape the future of the party. According to the article, Ben Jealous (D) was "framing his campaign as an opportunity for Sanders’ movement to score a big electoral win and turn Maryland into a laboratory for progressive politics."[1]
Jealous was endorsed by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) as well as the Working Families Party of Maryland. Among his policy positions were support for a $15 minimum wage and the expansion of Medicare to cover all state citizens.[2]
Baker served two terms as county executive after nearly a decade in the state House. He emphasized his past experience as a county executive, with his campaign website saying that "after six years of Rushern’s leadership, the results are clear."[3] Baker expressed support for firearms regulations, gender equity measures, and revitalization in the Baltimore region.[4] He has been endorsed by Rep. Steny Hoyer (D) and former Gov. Parris Glendening (D).
The then-top fundraiser, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz (D) died on May 10, 2018. Although his running mate Valerie Ervin ran for a time in his place, she was unable to access his campaign coffers and lost a court appeal to have new ballots printed with her name.[5] Ervin suspended her campaign on June 12 and endorsed Rushern Baker III.[6]
Heading into the election, Maryland's governor was Larry Hogan (R), who was unopposed in the Republican primary. Hogan was the nation's second most popular governor, according to a Morning Consult poll conducted between January and March 2018 that measured his approval at 68 percent.[7] As of June 2018, two political racetrackers rated the general election Lean Republican while a third rated it Likely Republican.[8]
The winner of the general election was involved in the state's redistricting process following the 2020 census. Maryland state law allows the governor to veto the state legislature's proposed U.S. House district maps. The governor may also draw a state legislative district map that comes into effect if the legislature cannot agree on its own map.[9]
For more information about gubernatorial elections in 2018, click here.
| SETTING THE STAGE | |
Maryland was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election. Click here for more information on other 2018 gubernatorial elections.
Candidates and election results
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of Maryland on June 26, 2018.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Maryland
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ben Jealous | 40.9 | 231,895 |
 | Rushern Baker III | 30.3 | 171,697 | |
| Jim Shea | 8.6 | 48,647 | ||
 | Krishanti Vignarajah | 8.5 | 48,042 | |
 | Richard Madaleno | 6.0 | 34,184 | |
| Alec Ross | 2.4 | 13,780 | ||
 | Ralph Jaffe | 1.7 | 9,405 | |
| James Jones | 1.6 | 9,188 | ||
| Total votes: 566,838 | |||
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Lieutenant governor
Democrats
- Running mate of Rushern Baker III
- Running mate of Ralph Jaffe
- Running mate of Ben Jealous
- Running mate of James Jones
- Running mate of Rich Madaleno
- Running mate of Alec Ross
- Running mate of Jim Shea
- Running mate of Krishanti Vignarajah
Campaign themes and policy stances
Campaign themes
Rushern Baker
| “ |
Growing the Economy from the Bottom Up Improving Our Education System Ethics Reform and Transparency Keeping Our Communities Safe Making Health Care Accessible and Affordable Protecting the Environment |
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| —Friends of Rushern Baker, III[12] | ||
Ben Jealous
| “ |
Healthcare As a child and young adult, I struggled with juvenile epilepsy. There were years when I wasn’t covered by health insurance and couldn’t afford the medicine which would have suppressed my seizures. I’ve held friends in my arms after their loved ones died due to a lack of proper health coverage. My commitment to a Medicare-for-All system is grounded in a belief that healthcare is a moral and economic imperative that we can no longer ignore. As governor, I will: Implement a Medicare-for-All system that delivers better care for less cost. Stop rising premiums so that Maryland families no longer fear bankruptcy due to an unexpected health crisis. Negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices for all residents. Jobs As a civil rights leader, I’ve helped lead the fight for a $15 minimum wage and ensure fair treatment for groups routinely exploited and excluded from business and employment opportunities. As governor, I will: Raise the minimum wage to $15 so that every job pays a living wage. Ensure all Marylanders access to high-speed internet to incentivize businesses to form and grow all across our state. Ensure that every Marylander can learn a trade or graduate college debt free. Invigorate Maryland’s tech economy so that we take advantage of talent throughout our state. Criminal Justice I was inspired to study criminal justice by my grandfather who spent thirty years as a juvenile probation officer. Now I teach criminal justice policy at one of the world’s leading public policy schools – the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. I’ve spent my life studying these issues and fighting for solutions nationwide. As governor, I’ll end mass incarceration in our state and I’ll do it with the experience I’ve gained working with both Republicans and Democrats, from Georgia to California establishing common sense reforms. As governor, I will: Expand the use of violence interrupting policies to reduce retaliation killings. Ensure that homicide units, special victim units, and crime labs are fully funded and staffed with highly qualified detectives and necessary personnel. Reform our bail system so that the only people who are jailed awaiting trial are there because they are a public safety threat, not because they couldn’t afford bail. Work with local police departments to expand the use of personality testing in recruiting to weed out potential officers who will use violence unnecessarily or carry biases that will affect their work. Ensure that Maryland leads the country in use of force training. Reform our criminal justice and healthcare system to ensure that we have rehab available for those that need it in real time, instead of funneling addicts into a prison system without the resources to treat them. Work with local police departments to increase the use of community policing methods that encourage police to patrol neighborhoods by foot to foster trust and integrate police as members of the communities they protect. Ensure the Baltimore Police Department has the resources to pay competitive salaries for police officers to end the attrition of talented police officers. Incentivize Police Departments to recruit and hire locally. Education As governor, I will: Work with Annapolis to make sure it follows through on its promise to use casino and lottery funds to enhance public education, not replace funds they’ve shifted to other priorities. End student debt and make it possible for every Marylander to attend community college, public university, or learn a trade for free. Ensure we have a qualified teacher in every classroom and that we pay them more for their service so we attract and retain the best quality teachers. Implement universal pre-K Make sure every student graduates from high school career ready, whether that means they go-on to higher education or to pursue a trade. Environment Wayne Gretzky once said that his success as a hockey player was because he skated to where the puck was going. The puck in energy is heading towards renewables fast, and if we want to make sure our kids grow up in an economy that is leading the charge, we have to take action now. As the President of the NAACP, the first new program I launched was the climate justice program and I served as a board member for the Environmental Defense Fund for over three years fighting for our environment. As governor, I will: Set a deadline for 100% clean and renewable energy and provide 21st-century jobs for the Maryland economy. Return Maryland’s focus to smart growth so that we develop our state without encroaching on environmentally important areas. Make sure that no community is disproportionately impacted by pollution and integrate environmental justice policies. Immigration As governor, I will: Work with the legislature to pass the TRUST Act so we can keep law enforcement focused on public safety rather than adding to their already difficult jobs by making them immigration officers as well. Defend DREAMers and champion a pathway to citizenship on the federal level. Celebrate every Marylander who becomes a citizen. Make Maryland a welcoming state to refugees. Civil Rights While our state and country have made many gains, we still have much more to do to protect and advance civil rights and ensure that we eliminate inequities that exist in education, the economy and criminal justice. As governor, I will: Ensure that prisoners returning to society have the opportunity to access employment and can re-integrate into their communities instead of turning to crime. Develop a state procurement and employment process that is inclusive to all. Protect and expand protections for LGBTQ Marylanders. Ensure Maryland leads the nation in fostering Women and Minority Business Enterprises (WMBEs)[11] |
” |
| —Friends of Ben Jealous[13] | ||
Kevin Kamenetz
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Restoring Maryland's Schools to the Nation's Best For years, Maryland’s schools were ranked the best in the nation. Under Governor Hogan’s watch, we’ve continued to slip down the list and according to the Kirwan Commission, we are now just the “middle of the pack.” As governor, I will restore Maryland’s schools to the best in the nation by: Prioritizing early childhood education to provide universal, high-quality pre-K for Maryland’s four-year-olds so we can help prevent achievement gaps before they begin. Updating funding formulas to support historically disadvantaged jurisdictions so that the quality of a child’s education is not dependent on their zip code. Increasing the state’s commitment to school construction funding and ensuring that public money supports public schools, rather than creating parallel school systems. Making tuition-free community college a reality for every Maryland student who wants to learn. I know we can get this done in Maryland because I have achieved these kinds of results in Baltimore County. Baltimore County is one of the nation’s 25 largest school systems, with over 113,000 students and more than 20,000 educators and support staff from over than 100 countries. Facing aging infrastructure and increasing enrollment, I championed the largest school construction program in the history of our County: a $1.3 billion investment to build or rebuild 90 schools that is taking kids out of trailers and into modern learning environments. Under my leadership, Baltimore County has adopted innovative practices inside the classroom including: Creating 21st century classrooms, putting digital devices in to the hands of every student and Wi-Fi in every building. Starting foreign language classes in the 4th grade and encouraging every child to graduate fluent in a second language. Introducing the Early College High School program that allows students to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and an Associate’s degree from our community college—tuition free. Enhancing classroom security, including reinforced doors and windows, and interior and exterior cameras that can be remotely accessed by every police officer. As a result, Baltimore County’s graduation rate has increased every year, exceeding the state average, approaching 90 percent, while we have eliminated disparities in graduation rates between African American and white students. Growing Maryland's Economy Today, Sparrows Point is coming back to life with 17,000 new jobs in the largest industrial redevelopment program in the country. This is the kind of economic development we need in Maryland, not blank checks for big corporations. To expand job opportunity, I created the “Job Connector” program, an innovative and flexible workforce development model that collaborates directly with employers to expand training in key fields and increase access to high-quality jobs across the Baltimore region. While most government workforce development systems can lead to people completing training and receiving certifications in fields with no job openings, the Job Connector works with local employers to pair local job opportunities with workers, who we provide with the necessary skills. As a result of programs like these, Baltimore County has created thousands of jobs and cut our unemployment rate in half. As governor, I will do the same hard work across the state to create jobs and revitalize communities, by: Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour to expand opportunities for all our families. Increasing economic opportunities by implementing thoughtful transportation strategies, including a renewed statewide commitment to integrated rail. Ending corporate welfare and focusing on job training to retain, promote, and attract businesses. Expanding Baltimore County’s innovative Job Connector program statewide. Protecting Our Environment for the Next Generation As governor, I will make government smarter and more environmentally responsible by: Aggressively leading the charge to stand up to the Trump Administration and empowering the Attorney General to defend Marylanders in court. Taking steps to improve the long-term health of the Bay and all our waterways, including doubling oyster sanctuaries, and creating incentives to reduce chicken manure runoff. Doubling Maryland’s RPS targets to 50 percent by 2030, generating additional clean energy projects and confronting climate change impacts. Reinstating smart growth development policies and continuing restorative practices to rebuild eroding stream beds and protect shorelines. Expanding our state’s commitment to renewable energy solutions with new investments in Maryland-based solar and wind, which will create good-paying jobs and reduce air pollution. Stopping the Potomac Pipeline, which poses a major threat to drinking and groundwater. Maryland cannot become the home of the next KeystoneXL. Ending the Opioid Epidemic As governor, I will support bipartisan efforts to improve the ACA and take steps to end this public health crisis, by: Increasing education efforts to end the stigma surrounding the disease of addiction. Ensuring the opioid overdose reversal medication, naloxone, remains accessible and taking steps to keep it affordable. Expanding access to evidence-based, on-demand treatment, so individuals can enter treatment as soon as they are ready. Supporting police interdiction efforts to break the illegal networks that continue to funnel heroin, prescription opioids, and synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, into our communities. Filing lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors who have profited by misleading doctors into prescribing opioids for chronic pain. Standing Up for What We Stand for I learned my values growing up working in my father’s pharmacy in Overlea, and they’ve guided me throughout my career in public service. Everyone, no matter their race, religion, sexual orientation, or where their family came from, deserves to feel at home in their community. As County Executive, I didn’t have to learn about these issues from the news in order to act. I’ve stood up for our values right away: In April 2017, I issued an Executive Order barring any County employee, including the police, from discriminating based upon one’s immigration status. In December 2016, I sent a letter to the president of Baltimore County’s five colleges reiterating our commitment to protecting DACA students. In September 2015, I renamed Robert E Lee Park to Lake Roland, eliminating a symbol of hate. In 2012, I was proud to sign a law protecting the rights of transgender individuals. As governor, I will continue to fight on behalf of all residents to ensure that hate will never be a Maryland value. [11] |
” |
| —Committee for Kamenetz[14] | ||
Rich Madaleno
| “ |
Healthcare In light of recent repeated efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Rich will be the strong leader Maryland needs to protect health care coverage, stability and affordability. He will work to assure that drugs are affordable and to prevent price gouging by drug companies selling products in Maryland. Rich will implement additional, critical prevention and treatment measures to stem the opioid overdose crisis in Maryland that has already taken too many lives. He will implement of stronger addiction prevention measures, such as medical profession and student education and training in non-opioid alternative pain management treatment options, how to identify substance use disorders, and how to get their patients help. With the leadership of a new Director of Recovery, he will build a more comprehensive treatment, rehabilitation and recovery support system with additional evidence-based treatment and crisis response programs, as well as outreach teams in local communities and additional certified peer recovery specialists to support patients and to assist with connections to housing, transportation, and employment. He will work to ensure access to both mental health and substance use disorder services. He will take steps to make sure that private and public insurance coverage is in compliance with the laws which require coverage for mental health and substance abuse disorders. He will help people who are incarcerated have greater access to substance use disorder and mental health treatment and when released, be able to continue that treatment through prompt presumptive eligibility for Medicaid and connection to community-based treatment. RIch will fight to eradicate the root causes of this crisis, including the stigma that keeps people from treatment and successful long-term recovery. In the General Assembly Rich co-sponsored the law implementing the Affordable Care Act in Maryland to ensure the broadest possible coverage and the best possible care for Maryland patients. He has also taken action to address the opioid crisis in our state by supporting measures to ensure fast and effective treatment services for persons impacted by addiction. He has been the key advocate for women’s health services as sponsor of the successful 2017 law to maintain funding in Maryland for Planned Parenthood if the federal government terminates its funding. Rich co-sponsored the 2017 law that prevents price gouging by generic drug manufacturers in Maryland. Rich Madaleno has successfully championed initiatives to promote better public health for all Maryland residents. Solutions for the Opioid Crisis Protecting Women's Health Services Ensuring High Quality Care Providing Mental Health Care and Coverage Keeping RX Drugs Affordable Promoting Public Health Supporting Those with Disabilities Education Rich’s goal is to make sure all young people “Thrive by 25” by improving the quality and accessibility of education at all levels, so that young people are ready to succeed in the career of their choosing. To achieve this goal, Rich will build a 21st century public school system for Maryland; increase resources to our schools; recruit, support and retain high quality teachers, and pay them accordingly; build and support community schools; enhance efforts for children with special needs; and ensure students’ nutritional needs are met. He will develop new, innovative programs to ensure college affordability, such as creating education savings accounts for children in kindergarten, and ensuring tuition-free community college and free college for families with incomes below $150,000. Rich will alleviate the burden of student debt by allowing first-time home buyers to roll their student debt into state-financed mortgages and by establishing a Student Loan Ombudsman to address complaints by student borrowers about loan servicers. Rich will initiate additional career and technical education and apprenticeship programs to provide critical training and experience. Rich has a proven record of tackling educational challenges and has taken critical action to build high-quality, affordable public education. A recognized leader on education in the General Assembly, Rich has spearheaded initiatives which have improved education in Maryland at every level, from Pre-K through 12 and beyond to college, graduate studies, and career and technical education. Funding Our Schools Tuition-Free Community College College Affordability Freezing College Tuition Career Education Healthy School Children Pre-Kindergarten Education Internet Access Safe Schools High Quality K-12 Education Supporting Our Teachers Continuing Leadership for Education Environment Rich will engage in regional cooperative efforts with our neighboring states of Virginia and Pennsylvania to improve water quality and the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its oyster and crab population. His administration will gather and analyze the data on air quality and emissions near chicken factories so that public health impacts can be assessed and addressed. He will join other states in the Multi-State Climate Alliance to fight climate change as a result of the President’s withdrawal of the United States from the Paris agreement. Rich will push to increase the renewable energy portfolio standard, so that 50% of the state’s energy in Maryland will come from renewable sources by 2030. Just as he led the successful fight to ban fracking in Maryland, he will also deny permission to build pipelines in Maryland which could jeopardize the water supply. From his achievements in securing reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in Maryland to his commitment and work to restore funding to protect our treasured Chesapeake Bay, Rich has taken stands to protect our local environment and make Maryland a leader in environmental progress. Protecting the Chesapeake Bay Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Tackling Climate Change Increasing Use of Renewable Energy Banning Fracking Fostering Innovative Technologies and Increasing Recycling Protecting Public Health and Open Space Economy and Jobs Under Rich Madaleno’s leadership Maryland will be “Open to the Future”. He will vigorously pursue opportunities for greater economic development throughout our state, capitalizing on its many core competencies in technology, computers, security, analytics, food and manufacturing. He will keep good-paying jobs and bring new, good-paying jobs to Maryland. He will develop training programs and partnerships with our educational institutions so that Maryland workers have the skills companies need for the jobs of our future. He will fully fund Maryland’s Partnership for Workforce Quality which funds training for employees in Maryland businesses, especially in the manufacturing and technology sector. He will support the state’s growing renewable energy sector with targeted tax assistance, and support the development of 21st century jobs on our Eastern Shore in construction, manufacturing and support services to serve the offshore wind energy project and to manufacture vessels to support offshore wind turbines locally and globally. Under Rich Madaleno’s leadership Maryland will be “Open to the Future”. Rich will continue to fight for working families by raising the minimum wage in Maryland and seeking earned sick leave for employees. Rich will advocate for tax policies that treat Maryland brick and mortar businesses fairly and bring additional revenue to the state. Rich wants to see all young people “Thrive by 25” and be ready for a career, whether through a certificate program or a college or advanced degree. He will initiate career and technical education and apprenticeship programs to provide training and experience to workers. Rich Madaleno has long pushed for innovation and collaboration to build and strengthen Maryland’s economy. He has been a reliable and strong supporter of workers — from ensuring good training and good employment opportunities to affirming workers’ rights to organize, collectively bargain and have fair working conditions. Increased Jobs Training Creating New Good-Paying Jobs Fighting for a $15 Minimum Wage Supporting Maryland Businesses Respecting Labor and Workers' Rights Aging Rich co-sponsored the recent law requiring the establishment of retirement savings programs by businesses in Maryland to expand workers’ access to these programs, but the current administration has not yet fully implemented this program. Rich will take action to ensure that this program to encourage retirement savings becomes available to Maryland employees. Rich will ensure that the state agencies responsible for preventing and investigating elder abuse have the staffing needed to fulfill these critical responsibilities.
Funding Facilities and Supporting Housing for the Elderly Providing for Food and Health Care Encouraging Retirement Savings and Protecting Retirement Income Preventing Elder Abuse Supporting Living at Home Immigration Rich believes that those who lawfully seek refuge here should be welcomed as members of our community. In order to protect public safety, Rich will ensure that we maintain strong relationships and trust between our police and our communities so that residents feel safe and work cooperatively with law enforcement, including by reporting crime and information vital to public safety. Rich will not let federal enforcement interfere with those relationships which benefit both our communities and local law enforcement. Rich will establish a program to assist naturalization-eligible Maryland residents finance their applications for naturalization with short-term, no-interest loans. Rich will work to ensure affordable, high quality health care for all Maryland residents. Rich Madaleno has long advocated for programs and policies to support immigrants in Maryland. He has worked to ensure that immigrants have good opportunities for education and have support in local communities, an effective way to build strong communities and a vibrant state economy. Ensuring Educational Opportunities Opposing the Trump Travel Ban Fighting for the TRUST Act Providing Health Care Rights To fight sexual harassment and assault, Rich will establish a State Commission on Sexual Harassment to determine best practices to prevent harassment and to make recommendations as to how in Maryland we can more aggressively fight to eradicate the pervasive problem of sexual harassment and assault, especially in the workplace. Rich will set the tone at the top as a strong and effective leader who will stand up against racism, bigotry, harassment and discrimination. Whether the fight for freedom to marry or to combat discrimination in housing and employment, Rich has long stood up for equal rights and has a progressive record of achievement in human rights, criminal justice, voting rights and social justice. Achieving the Freedom to Marry Fighting Discrimination Ensuring Fair Criminal Justice Supporting Those with Disabilities Women's Rights Consumer Rights Voting Rights The Right to Health Care The Right to Education Affordable Housing Rich will enforce our laws that prohibit discrimination in housing and will foster community development initiatives throughout our state. Rich will implement a “housing first” program to solve the growing problem of homelessness in our communities. He will implement a long-term plan to increase affordable housing, permanent supportive housing and specialized housing to end both veterans’ homelessness and chronic homelessness which adversely impacts many of the residents, including families, in our state. Rich Madaleno has taken important steps to improve housing in Maryland, to protect the rights of tenants, to create more affordable housing in our communities, and to address the problem of homelessness.
Protecting Renters' Rights Preventing Housing Discrimination Supporting Homeowners Solving Homelessness Veterans He will also encourage programs which recognize the skills and talents of veterans and programs to assist veteran-owned businesses become certified for federal and state contracts. He will support programs to provide mental health and other health care and support services for veterans. Rich Madaleno has a strong record of supporting veterans, their educational, health, employment and social needs. Supporting Veterans' Employment Funding Veterans' Facilities and Programs Creating Educational Opportunities for Veterans Supporting Older Veterans Preventing Gun Violence Rich fully supports and will fight to enact the bill banning the sale of bump stocks and other accessory devices, which are used to accelerate the firing of automatic weapons. He will support measures to better trace guns used in crimes to determine how and where guns are diverted to the underground market in order to keep dangerous firearms off our streets. These measures will not impact those who lawfully use their weapons to hunt. Rich Madaleno has been a strong advocate for laws to prevent gun violence. He has been an effective leader who has achieved strong results in enacting sensible gun laws to prevent gun violence.
Mandating Background Checks and Closing Loopholes Preventing Criminals from Possessing Weapons Prohibiting Firearms at Schools Animal Welfare He will lead the fight to prevent animal cruelty and require better living and transportation conditions for farm animals. Rich has a strong record of supporting and advocating for laws to support animal welfare. He has a 93% rating from the Humane Society Legislative Fund in 2014 for preventing animal abuse and cruelty and supporting programs to promote animal health and well-being. Preventing Animal Abuse and Cruelty to Animals Promoting Animal Health Ending Barbaric Treatment of Cownose Rays |
” |
| —Marylanders for Rich Madaleno[15] | ||
Alec Ross
| “ |
Education Investing in Pre-K and Early Childhood We need bold ideas to make child care an education policy priority. We need to restore funding to programs that make sure kids get access to quality child care regardless of how much money their parents make. And we need to explore new ideas to lower the financial burden of child care for the middle class and help parents stay in the workforce while their kids are young. I have proposed that Maryland develop an innovative public/private fund that invests in quality child care through “income sharing agreements”. This model is currently being tested to finance college tuition not by saddling them with debt, but by investing in their future potential. For more details about this plan, check out the full child care policy page. EXPANDING PRE-K IN MARYLAND The key to helping kids succeed in primary and secondary school is offering strong support for pre-K education. Despite some public investment in Head Start, quality pre-K programming is not accessible for most Maryland families. It is partly a question of putting our money where our mouth is when we promise to deliver a level playfield for our children. But it is also about how we organize and provide pre-K classrooms. For example, we need to recognize that a half-day pre-K program does not match the work schedule and childcare needs of most parents. We need to facilitate blended delivery of pre-K that is integrated and colocated with full-day childcare. And we need to be sure these opportunities are available not only in high density, high income areas, but spread out from our inner cities to our rural counties. Making Maryland the #1 State for K-12 Education MARYLAND ONLINE ACADEMY The range and quantity of AP, foreign language, and advanced STEM classes vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and school to school. The ability to learn foreign languages or take an AP class should not be confined to wealthy students going to our best-funded schools. It also should be the case that individual students in small, rural schools should be able to go to school near their home but access a universe of educational options. That is why I am proposing the establishment of a state-wide high school Academy in STEM and foreign language fields with 3 AP course offerings so that districts and schools who lack the resources to provide these offerings can supplement what is available through the Maryland Online Academy. FAIRNESS IN NEW SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION We need to reform the current funding models for school construction in Maryland and make additional investments in construction to ensure that our students have access to the top school facilities in the country. Maryland’s current system of funding school construction is rooted in political favoritism and inequitable financing models between the various jurisdictions in the state. While some jurisdictions have the ability and means to build new schools, many do not. Within individual jurisdictions, there are additional inequities. These disparities reinforce social inequality, and they must be remedied to deliver on the promise of equal opportunity for all students. COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR ALL Computer code is the alphabet of the future and we need to make sure that Maryland’s students are prepared for tomorrow’s economic opportunities. We should require that all Maryland schools offer Computer Science courses and lessons at every grade level by 2022 — with an ultimate goal of reaching every student as soon as we have the teaching capacity. For more details about Alec’s plan to bring Computer Science education to Maryland’s classroom, check out the full policy page. SUPPORTING GIRLS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING & MATH (STEM) We cannot achieve our full potential as a society if half of the population (women) are underrepresented in the key fields of study and work in the industries of the future. Girls remain underrepresented in some advanced STEM coursework in K-12. And there is a major drop off in representation in undergraduate majors, advanced degrees, and professional occupations. The place to start fixing this problem is elementary and secondary schools. We need to break the gendered stereotypes of which kids go into what subjects by making STEM a normative requirement for all students and promoting career plans in these fields. If girls are exposed to STEM early and often, they will not feel later that they must cross a falsely constructed gender boundary to excel in these subjects. The studies show that girls do as well or better than boys in these subjects — we need to do more to promote these pathways in our schools. SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES SET THE CALENDAR The rhythm of family life in our communities is set by the school calendar. Under Larry Hogan, local schools are now prohibited from starting their school year before Labor Day. This is misguided. Economic development directives coming from Annapolis should not supersede the educational needs of our school children and the rights of local school districts to determine the school calendar for themselves. As Governor, I would return that authority to the individual school districts. A COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY SCHOOLS Community schools provide an opportunity to bring together the stakeholders and resources necessary to ensure excellence both in and out of the classroom. These schools are tailored toward serving the needs of individual communities and can provide services ranging to a food pantry in communities with high rates of childhood hunger to providing ESL classes in communities with large immigrant populations to providing extracurricular activities when traditional schools do not have the resources to do so. As Governor, I would make it easier for our local jurisdictions to create community schools, and I would create an interagency task-force with representatives of my cabinet agencies to streamline the process and support the local school districts. GIFTED & TALENTED PROGRAMS IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES There is genius everywhere in our state. But the resources for gifted and talented students are not. Every year thousands of students from disadvantaged communities are denied the opportunity to maximize their potential by accessing education resources that allow their talents to flourish. We need to work with the local jurisdictions to ensure that all communities have increased resources for gifted and talented education. The next generation of scientists, engineers, musicians, novelists, teachers and doctors are sitting in our classrooms. We need to challenge them to be great. BUSINESS-LED APPRENTICESHIPS IN THE INDUSTRIES OF THE FUTURE For many students, the best path to economic mobility is a four-year college degree. But for others, that plan is not in the cards — for lots of reasons. That isn’t a reflection on aptitude as much as it is social circumstances. We need to do a much better job of opening new and different paths to skill building, higher wages, and career opportunities for these young people. One promising approach is to transform how we think about apprenticeships. Today, Maryland supports thousands of apprenticeship positions focused primarily in the building, contracting, and mechanical trades. These paths to medium and high skill employment are very important, but they should be a starting point for something much bigger. As technology transforms industries as varied as energy, agriculture, and healthcare, we need to think about taking the idea of a classroom-plus-on-the-job education to the next level. In many new industries, aptitudes and not credentials are in highest demand. And the skill shortages — which are acute in many growth industries — are highly specialized. Companies are begging for more highly skilled workers, regardless of whether they have a conventional degree. In Maryland, our shortage of workers in the skilled trades is leading to out-of-state labor being used to complete key government contractors rather than local labor. These circumstances are ripe for transforming how we prepare students to enter the workforce by tailoring skill training for particular industries by connecting business directly with our education system. The Germans and the Swiss have built a highly successful form of this model. It starts creating a broad platform of public-private partnerships. The state does more than just sponsor apprentices. A government agency can serve as the key intermediary that connects the projected demands of business for high skill labor with training programs for students that have dynamic curricula that can quickly adapt to offer the right skills at the right time. Companies benefit by getting the skilled workers they need — and they will invest money, workplace training for students, and personnel to participate in the classroom. Business-led apprenticeships take the old idea of learning a trade and applies it across the technology economy to create a new model of higher education that leads to middle-class wages and economic opportunity. Higher Ed and Job Training in a Diversified Economy EXPANDING NON-COLLEGIATE CAREER PATHS For years, we have pushed the mantra on our kids that the path to a middle-class standard of living and economic mobility was a 4-year college degree. This remains valid — and every young person that wants a college education should be able to get one. But we must also recognize that labor markets are shifting due to rapid technological change, and college isn’t the only path to a high-paying job. That should be good news for the more than half of Maryland adults that are not college graduates. But these jobs aren’t just there for the taking — they require aptitude, knowledge, skills and training. As a state, we should be the national leader in designing and retooling advanced vocational training institutions that partner with companies to offer courses that match the projected needs of growth industries. This requires a comprehensive plan to retool community college and university curricula as well as growing new kinds of educational opportunities (including accredited technology academies and online learning programs). Our goal is to generate a variety of training programs other than 4-year degrees that provide pathways to high-wage jobs in businesses undergoing major technological transformation — from energy to agriculture to manufacturing. MID-CAREER JOB TRAINING There is a big gap in our labor market policy that is failing mid-career professionals that lose their jobs. A generation ago, the path to achieve and maintain a middle-class standard of living was to earn an education and work your way up in a company. Many people expected to stay in their jobs until they retired. Today, this ideal type is the reality for fewer and fewer people. Industries change much more rapidly, driven by technological innovation and automation. People expect to have several jobs between college and retirement. To make that work, they must have the skills to move diagonally across industries, so that career changes aren’t synonymous with starting over on the bottom rung of the ladder. But as careers specialize and technology changes, making that diagonal leap is harder and harder. And neither universities nor apprenticeships nor technology academies are a good fit for mid-career managers and professionals in declining industries. We can fix this problem. The state can coordinate between companies that need skilled, experienced workers and help support new forms of job-training courses and institutions that can deliver these capabilities. This doesn’t mean we will train everyone to be a technologist. That’s not the goal here. The idea here is that even technology companies employer mostly nontechnologists — marketers, product managers, business developers, communications and human resource specialists. They are rarely trained technologists. But they must have the skills to work with technologists and master the methods of working in the new economy. This is the skills gap we will bridge in Maryland. Supporting Our Teachers & Educators to Help Students Succeed Additionally, teachers should not be forced to choose between staying in the classroom or becoming administrators because of financial imperatives at home. We need to increase teacher compensation so that our teachers aren’t forced to leave the classroom in order to solve financial issues. SUPPORTING OUR TEACHERS We need to provide additional support structures to teachers to allow them to provide individualized attention to their students in the classrooms. Because we are in a resource scarce environment, teachers aides and guidance counselors are often the first staff positions to be cut. We need to be increasing the support around teachers and students to allow teachers to do what they do best: educate their students. BRINGING NEW TEACHERS TO MARYLAND Maryland has some of the best teachers in the country, and as we invest more in education, our schools will become more and more attractive to teachers from across the country. Yet Maryland lags behind other states in its acceptance of outstanding teachers that have been certified in other states. We want the best and the brightest to come to our classrooms, and we should have an open door for bringing outstanding new teachers into Maryland. Just as our state tries to attract the best engineers, the best doctors, and the best entrepreneurs to our state — we want to set policies to help any great educator that wants to live in Maryland to find a home and a job here. Election Reform Promoting Election Participation and the Right to Vote AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION We need to do everything possible to ensure that every voting age person in Maryland is registered and eligible to vote. The simplest way to reach this goal is to make registration automatic. Any time a citizen engages with a state service — unless you opt out — your data should be automatically and securely sent to the election administration. We will put safeguards in place to ensure that people that are not eligible to vote (e.g. non-citizen permanent residents) are not inadvertently registered. But the idea is to make voter registration integrate with routine state services — such as getting a driver’s license, registering for classes at a college or university, or signing up for training at a job center. UNIVERSAL VOTE BY MAIL OPTION A few states — including Oregon, Colorado and Washington — have achieved impressive results improving voter turnout by simply mailing every eligible voter a ballot and giving them the option to vote by mail. The vote-by-mail option allows voters to avoid problems with taking time off work or juggling childcare, or standing in long lines, or any other unforeseen event in daily life that interferes with physically going to a polling station. In Maryland, we already permit anyone that wants one to request a mailed-in “absentee” ballot — yet only 3% of Maryland voters did this in 2014. A universal vote-by-mail option simply extends this opportunity automatically to every voter. MODERNIZE DIGITAL ELECTION SERVICES For several years now, we have enjoyed digital voter registration and electronic pollbooks (digital databases of the voter register) in Maryland. You can register online with a state ID and update your registration information. We can improve on these digital services. For example, we can upgrade our systems to send voters email or SMS confirmations when their voter registration application is complete and accepted. We can enable a real-time notification system so that voters can check to ensure they are registered. Finally, we should institute an option for voters to get an SMS reminder on key election dates, e.g. the start of Early Voting and Election Day, including a link to information about where to go vote. EXPAND EARLY VOTING Currently, there are 8 days of early voting in advance of Election Day, from 8 AM to 8 PM at a small number of selected voting locations across the state. Early Voting is a great option for many voters, and we should expand the number of early voting days to begin 4 weeks prior the Election Day — bringing Maryland into line with other states that offer robust Early Voting. And, we should increase the number of early voting locations so that they are easily accessible to all voters, including (where feasible) by public transit. SIMPLIFIED STUDENT VOTING Our students — for the most part — live around the campuses where they study. Many of them work part time and pay local and state taxes in Maryland. But not nearly enough have proper representation. Because their permanent addresses are technically still at their parents homes, many feel discouraged by Maryland residency laws and do not register and vote in the location where they spend nearly all of their time for several years. For in-state students, that means voting in another county and losing out on having a local voice at the ballot box. For out-of-state students, that means no representation. That is not acceptable. We are going to adapt our laws to make it easier for students who want to shift their voter registration from where they came from to where they live, work and study in Maryland. Further, we’re going to do a voter registration drive on campuses across that state to inform students of their rights and opportunities to vote locally in Maryland. ADVANCED REGISTRATION IN HIGH SCHOOL We will build out programs in our school districts to encourage high school students to register to vote at school. Young adults can already register starting at age 16 — though of course, they may only vote if they turn 18 before Election Day. High school programs for voter registration can be integrated into civics courses and become an actionable outcome of learning about American democracy. Elections of the Future Election administration: Each step in the voting process must have secure technology, risk-limiting security procedures, and rigorous audits that are the same for every vote cast anywhere in the state. First, we need a uniform system of validating the identity of voters — particularly those that request an absentee ballot and vote by mail (for example, through electronic signature matching technology). In particular, we need to eliminate insecurities in our system of online ballot requests and marking that drew warranted critique in the last election. Second, at our polling places, we should strengthen systems that pre-test and post-test the counting devices (tabulation and storage technologies in the optical scanners). We should redouble efforts to track and audit the provenance, custodianship, and storage of counting devices between elections. And we should make the process and records of these audits public for the broadest scrutiny. Further, we need to make plans to source hardware components for election systems through a supply chain of secure vendors. Finally, we need to place special focus on the security of the location, hardware and software on the machines in each county that manage the voter register, configure casting devices, tabulate votes, and report statewide results. For example, tabulation in each county should be done on dedicated machines that are wiped clean before every election and reinstalled with a new version of the tabulation software and never connected to the Internet. All of these technical audits can be cross-checked with hand-counts of random batches of votes to eliminate any doubts about the outcome at the polls. Campaigns: We need to set cyber-security guidelines and standards for our political parties and candidates to ensure that hacks on our political institutions do not undermine public trust or call into question the outcome of an election. Finally, we must be organized and respond appropriately to any disinformation or “fake news” campaigns that are waged against our local and state government — regardless of the party affiliation of elected leaders. And we need a coordinated and responsible collaboration with technology companies that manage the modern platforms of political communications. COMMISSION ON ONLINE VOTING Secure, online voting is not wishful thinking. It has already been done in digital-forward countries like Estonia. With the right technological architecture and security procedures, online voting can be implemented in the future. We will set up a Commission to study online voting and develop plans for our state. Their mission will be to design a pathway to a future system of online voting that complies with what election experts call the “VAST” mandate — elections that are Verifiable, Accurate, Secure, and Transparent. Maryland will be the state that turns the technological risks of cyber-security into the technological advantages of full participation. Expanding Voter Choice & Depolarizing Politics COMMISSION ON VOTER CHOICE AND POLITICAL DEPOLARIZATION We have a two-party system in this country that is structured to resist competition from new parties. As a practical matter, voting your conscience for a candidate outside the two-party system (or for a primary candidate that appears unlikely to win) has the perverse effect of increasing the likelihood that your least favored candidate will win. Add to this problem an additional issue — in Maryland, we have “closed primaries”, excluding all the independents. We need to set up a commission of leading election reform experts tasked with studying the problems of voter choice and political polarization in Maryland and making recommendations for the state. One possibility to get at this problem is to open up our primaries to all voters. And another promising option is Rank Choice Voting (also known as Instant Runoff Voting). On its face, this is a logical step toward real change that doesn’t fundamentally alter our elections. It is simple and it will bring more competition into our politics and more choices for voters. Child Care The Problem EQUAL ACCESS FOR CHILDREN IN POVERTY In a nutshell — here’s how the program works in Maryland today. We have a voucher-based system of reimbursements to defray the cost of child care for low-income households. We have had this program for years, but its viability is in steep decline. The federal government provides a big block grant to Annapolis (~$60M) and the state adds more money to the pool (~$40M). (The federal grant program was reauthorized in 2014 after a strong push from then-Senator Barbara Mikulski.) Families eligible for support receive a voucher that shows the amount of their credit (per child) and the amount of the co-pay for which they are responsible. The voucher and the cash co-pay are given to a licensed child care provider, and the provider gets reimbursed by the state for the voucher. Last year, more than 14,000 children in Maryland got quality childcare under this program and maxed out available funding. Disastrously, that represents only 22% of the total number of eligible children. That means tens of thousands more are not getting the care they need to prosper; or their parents have dropped out of the workforce; or we are forcing parents to choose between quality child care and the other basic necessities of life that must come from every paycheck. Worse still, the resulting shortfall in revenue into the child care system means we have fewer child care centers, fewer spots available, teachers are paid less, and quality declines in ways that affect children across the system. CHILD CARE PROVIDERS Meanwhile, the downward pressure of underfunding is not just falling on parents and children. It is also carried by the people that work in child care. They are perhaps the worst paid, most important members of our society. This is a national problem, but we have not addressed it in Maryland. A 2016 study by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment found that 40% of the families of child care workers were participants in at least one public assistance program. We pay poverty level wages to the people that work with our children during the most important phase of child development. The result is high stress, high turnover (30%), difficulty recruiting qualified staff into the profession, and ultimately, a negative impact on quality. Real Solutions for Working Families We need to invest in our children. It’s the right thing to do, and it is smart policy to promote economic prosperity — both now and in the future. To do that, we need to make immediate changes to our child care policy. EQUITY-BASED CHILD CARE FINANCING FOR WORKING FAMILIES We should start planning to build a public-private Child Care Equity Fund to make dedicated financing available to working families to address the cost of childcare. A successful investment fund using the model described here could eventually reach as many as half of all Maryland families with children under 5 years old. The Equity Fund model will be based on innovative solutions to the expanding student loan crisis. The central idea is to shift away from loan-based finances to a system equity-based financing. These programs — known as Income Sharing Agreements (ISAs) — are getting a lot of positive attention and currently being tested at educational institutions around the country The Child Care Equity Fund will invest capital in eligible families that apply for the program to cover a portion of child care costs. The terms of the agreement — size of the investment, payback percentage and duration — will vary from family to family based on the amount of financing, income, and risk profile. The payback period will start once the child has entered school and last a period of years (at maximum until the child graduates high school). Like a company repaying an investor (rather than a debtor repaying a lender), the parents will not owe a monthly debt payment but rather a fixed percentage of monthly income to the Fund. This Income Sharing Agreement (ISA) has many advantages over a conventional loan. First, it does not impact a family’s creditworthiness for other purchases (e.g. a home or a car) to the same degree. Second, it is not a fixed payment, it is a percentage of income. If income declines or rises, so do the payments — making the payback align with the economic health of the family. This is the shared risk of the Fund and the family. If income drops below a threshold in the ISA, payments stop but interest does not accrue and the Fund loses money. If income rises quickly, the Fund gets a strong return on investment, but the total repayment amount is capped to avoid penalizing successful families beyond a pre-established amount. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY CHILD CARE We will seek to restore the health and viability of the existing program that supports child care costs for children from very low-income families. Over a period of years, we will work to restore reimbursement rates that make 75% of local child care providers affordable for all families in a community. We will eliminate the freeze on enrollment and its waiting list of thousands. We will set a goal of raising eligibility levels to 50% of median income and work with families to keep co-payments at a manageable 7-10% of monthly income. To streamline implementation of this program for more families and to hold costs down, we will build and implement digital interfaces and data management systems that reduce transaction costs, save time for families and agencies alike, and track compliance among participants to cut down on errors and waste. We will continue efforts in the state to raise the quality of care by working with providers to achieve quality accreditation (accompanied by increased reimbursement rates to incentivize higher standards). RAISING THE QUALITY OF CHILD CARE Like every other institution in our society, child care providers are only as good as the skills and motivation of the people that work in them. We cannot continue to starve these critical service providers, pay teachers poverty wages, and foreclose access to career advancement without a steep decline in the quality of care. We will explore ways to increase compensation and retention for child care workers by expanding benefits such as training programs and credentials that yield meaningful salary increases upon completion. We will explore establishing a T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Program in Maryland — a successful program that has been implemented in 20+ other states. The initiative works with a blend of public-private funding to address the challenges in the child care workforce — retention, training, and salaries. In particular, the program offers higher education scholarships for child care workers. In Pennsylvania, the program sponsored more than 1000 scholarships in 2016 alone. T.E.A.C.H. boasts impressive 90%+ retention rates and increased salary for staff that have been awarded scholarships in the program. We will work with private sector partners to explore establishing a “Teach for Maryland, Early Education” — to bring talent, public service spirit and investment to the profession. We will leverage digital tools to increase communications between parents and child care providers, to help educate parents of high-need children about how they can support child care providers, and to alert families about financing options that can make child care more affordable. Computer Science CODE IN THE CLASSROOM
Change Agenda Computer Science in MD for All: Enable and require that all Maryland schools offer Computer Science courses and lessons at every grade level by 2022 — with an ultimate goal of reaching every student as soon as we have the teaching capacity. Invest in Teachers: Build a robust pipeline of Computer Science educators by delivering funds (both public and private) for new and existing re-training programs for elementary and secondary teachers as well as expanding top-shelf teacher preparation courses in the field at our college-level schools of education. State Leadership: Develop and publish a strategic plan for Computer Science education that is led by a senior team in Annapolis empowered with resources and responsible for helping every school district deliver Computer Science education for all students. Diversity: Create a statewide initiative to develop programs and civic partnerships to address gender, racial and ethnic diversity in Computer Science education. Standards and Curricula: Establish statewide standards for our Computer Science content — across K-12 — to ensure that teachers have high quality materials and a clear framework for instruction. CS-MD Network: Create a consortium of tech companies, universities, and schools that cooperate to recruit teachers, invest in training, refresh the curriculum, and support students entry into Computer Science professions with internships, apprenticeships, and job-placement. Connectivity and Tools: Provide affordable, world class Internet access to every school in Maryland and ensure that our classrooms have up-to-date technologies for students. Solving Policy Problems Second, the law should require all K-12 schools to offer Computer Science courses. This starts with a low level requirement to offer courses of some kind. At the primary and middle school level, that means integrating computational thinking and computer science modules into existing curricula for math and science. At the high school level, that means offering stand alone Computer Science courses as an option to fulfill the existing requirement for technology education. Over time, we will expand the requirement such that not only are all schools offering Computer Science, but that all students must receive it. This universal provision from elementary school forward directly impacts the gender and racial diversity of Computer Science students in high school and college. By teaching Computer Science early, we can interest more kids for the long term and help preempt the social stereotypes that steer only certain kids to the field as they get older. Third, the government must work with teachers, schools, and experts to establish and apply standards to ensure quality and consistency in Computer Science courses across the state. There are already authorized standards for curricula that can be customized to fit our schools. This work — and much more — could be supported by empowering and funding the new Center for Computing Education recently established in the University of Maryland system. Alongside standards, the state should help ensure that all schools have high-speed broadband connectivity and devices in the classroom that are up to date. Connectivity is an especially important issue in rural areas. Without significant change in these three areas, we will be stuck in low gear. The policy barriers to achieving Computer Science education for every student in Maryland are slowing down the forces of both supply and demand. Despite our need for more Computer Science educators, there are incentives for new teachers to choose other STEM subjects other than Computer Science. Marijuana Legalization Legalizing Personal Marijuana Use in Maryland TAX REVENUE VS. BLACK MARKET A recent estimate put the total annual revenue for illegal marijuana in North America at $46 billion. Maryland’s share of that is about $800 million. Not only would legalization withdraw this money from the black market, through taxation we can put a large proportion of it to work for the public. Last year, Colorado, which has a slightly smaller population than Maryland, collected $200 million in taxes through a legal marijuana market. REVERSING INJUSTICE The history of law enforcement and marijuana in America is a story of disproportionate consequences and social injustice. In Maryland, even since decriminalization in 2014, over 85% of drug arrests are for possession — not for growing or selling the drug. Blacks and Latinos are far more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites, despite the fact that usage rates are about the same across racial and ethnic groups. According to the ACLU, in a study based on a decade’s worth of data from the Census Bureau and the FBI, people of color in Maryland were three times as likely to be arrested as whites for drug possession crimes. Drug arrests set off a cascade of negative social consequences. A criminal record with drug offenses is the equivalent of a brick wall standing in the path of economic opportunity. More and more employers require background checks, and a record of drug charges may be public even if there is ultimately no conviction. Not only does a marijuana arrest and/or a conviction impair employment prospects, it also limits educational attainment and puts pressure on families. This downward spiral — often including unemployment and debt — is an all too familiar phenomenon in our communities. Legalization of marijuana will help reverse this vicious cycle. REFOCUS LAW ENFORCEMENT RESOURCES The arrest, prosecution and incarceration of nonviolent offenders guilty of possession or distribution of marijuana cost millions of dollars. In 2010, Maryland spent more than $100 million on marijuana-related law enforcement. That total has declined since decriminalization, but the number of arrests remains relatively high. Policing, judicial processing and imprisonment for marijuana possession offenses are very expensive. And these are limited resources. They can and should be put to better ends. By making the marketplace for personal marijuana use taxed, regulated, and legal, we will forego arresting almost all of these nonviolent offenders and steer our criminal justice efforts elsewhere. PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH There is a public health consequence to leaving such a large unregulated market for marijuana in place. Because the products in circulation are not under the rule of law, there is no possibility to regulate them to establish quality standards that avoid toxicity from improper manufacture. This is the trade-off that we have made with similar intoxicants such as alcohol and tobacco. If not for regulation, these products would be much riskier. The comparison here is instructive. The health risks and health costs associated with alcohol and tobacco are substantially worse than those caused by marijuana. TAX REVENUE AND INCREASED ECONOMIC ACTIVITY States that have regulated, legal markets for marijuana have uncovered a source of very significant new revenue for the state. This comes from taxes on sales, as well as from the increased demand for warehouse space, retail space, equipment and technology for production, legal services, and other goods and services tangential to the marijuana industry. Recently, Colorado surpassed the $500 million mark in tax revenues raised from marijuana since the state enacted legalization in 2014. It is likely that Maryland will bring in $200-300 million a year in tax revenue once the market has developed. Legal marijuana has also proven to be a job creator. A study from the Marijuana Policy Group shows that legal marijuana in Colorado created over 18,000 jobs in 2015, Washington has added 23,000 jobs since legalizing, and Oregon has added nearly 12,000. The MPG goes on to estimate that the multiplier for cannabis is between $2.13 and $2.40 in Colorado — this means that for every dollar spent in the marijuana industry, between $2.13 and $2.40 of economic activity is generated. The benefits to Maryland would likely be even larger. Maryland has more people than Colorado and a much higher population density. The Path to Taxing and Regulating Legalized Marijuana Revise criminal law to permit adults (age 21 and above) to possess up to one ounce of cannabis and six plants grown at home for personal use. Establish a license-based regulatory system for all stages of cannabis production, distribution and sale with high standards of accountability, public safety and security. Establish clear restrictions on practices that are illegal within this new system as well as penalties for non-compliance with the rules. Apply taxes and fees to the new industry of legal marijuana and authority for collection and auditing. Establish clear guidelines for expungement of the criminal records of citizens that have been convicted of crimes that have been decriminalized through this reform. OVERSIGHT The state would have the responsibility to oversee all affairs pertaining to legal marijuana, including licensing, regulation, tax collection, auditing, and compliance. My preferred solution to market oversight is a technology-driven plan that would maintain a “seed to sale” database that tracks and logs all of the products moving up the supply chain with RFID tags. LICENSING All aspects of the marijuana industry would be licensed — from seed to sale, including: cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, testing facilities, and of course, retailers. There would be no arbitrary limit on the number of licenses granted, though they may be parceled out in batches to permit periodic assessment of market growth and vitality. The market will eventually demonstrate an equilibrium of how many operators can remain profitable. Because retail outlets will be the most visible part of this market for the public, we should examine different models for retail sale and determine in consultation with local communities the solutions that work best. Priority in the licensing process may be given to Maryland-owned businesses and those of a minority background. Other critical issues for review during licensing include a record of security and safety, environmental impact, and the criminal history of applicants. Licenses will be granted after review by an impartial panel of experts. PUBLIC SAFETY STANDARDS The purpose of rigorous oversight is to maintain high standards for public safety and consumer protection. That begins with restrictions on the location of retail outlets within a certain distance of schools or other areas where children are likely to be found. We should also have rules restricting advertising for cannabis products, and the labeling and packaging policies will prohibit any designs that appeal to under-age users (particularly for edible cannabis products). Labeling and testing requirements will apply to ensure that levels of pesticides and other toxins are within reasonable public health standards and to ensure dosage and potency are clearly displayed on all packaging. TAX REVENUE My plan would identify a small number of programs for dedicated funding that are related to this reform — such as resources to train law enforcement, public education about drug safety, and medical research in drug abuse and mental health issues. However, the rest of the revenue should not be predetermined and should flow through to Maryland’s General Fund. DIVERSITY & INCLUSION The licensing process that establishes the market for legal cannabis should feature extensive outreach to underrepresented communities to encourage their involvement in this new industry — including women, communities of color, veterans, and people with disabilities. The Drug Policy Alliance estimates that only 1% or less of the market to grow legal marijuana is owned or operated by people of color. According to a law review from UC Davis, the major contributor to this disparity is access to capital. Because marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, entrepreneurs have to rely on their own fundraising to enter the industry. The lack of racial diversity in the industry nationwide is consistent with what Maryland has experienced with its medical marijuana rollout. We will work with entrepreneurs of color to remedy this problem. SIMPLE PATH TO EXPUNGEMENT The importance of expunging criminal records once marijuana has been legalized cannot be understated as a social and economic policy reform. A major reason to undertake this reform in general is to avoid the damage that continued criminalization of cannabis does to our communities. By that logic, we have a moral responsibility to undo as much damage retroactively as we can. Under Maryland law, people with prior convictions for actions that are later decriminalized are eligible for expungement of their records. A new law passed last year specifically opens the door for expanded access to expungement related to the 2014 decriminalization of marijuana. When full legalization becomes law, the number of people eligible will rise even further. But short of a costly case-by-case assessment, the state does not know who is eligible for expungement, and the process of gathering the relevant documents and filing an expungement petition in court is not a simple matter. In many cases, it requires the support of a lawyer to push the process to completion. And yet, if we could expunge every record that is eligible, we would open up a whole new future to thousands of people for nothing more than $30 in filing fees and processing time. It is hard to imagine another policy that could deliver so much economic value to so many people so cheaply and easily. Once the personal use of marijuana has been legalized, everyone with an arrest record or conviction for offenses that are no longer crimes will be eligible for expungement. We will set aside some of the tax revenue from this new market for the purpose of public education about the process of expungement and to support legal aid and public defense for those that cannot afford the assistance they need. Further, we will make available a process for a petition for resentencing. This will permit those who are incarcerated or on probation to reduce their sentence to account for convictions that have been decriminalized. This is only fair and reasonable. One way to maximize the utility of this policy is to build a mobile phone app designed to help people take advantage of expungement policy. Code for America has already done this. They built the “Clear My Record” app and deployed it in partnership with local government across California. An app would help with affirmative outreach and public education about expungement. An app would set out clear guidelines about how to use the expungement process. It would help people learn how to determine eligibility, find out where to apply, and even submit their petitions. Over time, as a part of Maryland government’s modernization that I intend to lead, we will digitize records to ensure that the data we have about criminal records are available for processing without manual examination. Such a system would make it possible to check eligibility and reach out to those affected proactively. Ensuring Public Safety YOUTH CONSUMPTION Keeping marijuana out of the hands of young people is a priority. We can and should take steps to make sure that underage users are not served by this market. For example, we can require that all licensed retailers are located at a significant distance from schools, hospitals, and playgrounds. And we can scrutinize packaging and labeling regulations to ensure nothing is marketed towards young people. Punishment in the form of fines, license revocation, and potentially even jail time could be incurred by any person or business that violates rules pertaining to minors and marijuana. PUBLIC HEALTH Another important concern about legalizing marijuana is that increased prevalence of the drug will trigger an increase in mental health problems, particularly among young people. Indeed, there have been studies suggesting that people with a predisposition for mental health problems are also more likely to be drug users. A causal relationship has not been established, however. And furthermore, the same is true for alcohol, a much more damaging drug when it comes to mixing with underlying physical and mental health problems. Part of the legalization reform agenda must be to invest in primary care, drug abuse prevention programs, and research on the relationship between drug abuse and mental health. DRIVING Driving while impaired by marijuana usage will not be tolerated, without exception. This is the law in Maryland and should remain so. The challenge for public safety in a state with legal marijuana is determining impairment. The detection of impaired driving must be performed by law enforcement officers at traffic stops. This requires careful training in impairment detection methods and the establishment of new standards to ensure the police have what they need to protect the public. Meanwhile, we should be investing in the research and development of new breathalyzer-type products. Maryland’s public health research institutions are world class, and there may be a role for them to play in this work. In addition, public education will be paramount in preventing an increase in DUIs by educating people about the dangers and the consequences of impaired driving. OPERATING OUTSIDE THE SYSTEM Unfortunately, even in states with legal marijuana, some individuals choose to operate outside the legal system. By legalizing marijuana, we hope to remove most of the incentives towards selling and trafficking illegal drugs. However, it is important to note that this proposal does not legalize all marijuana; it only legalizes marijuana recognized by the state and handled by licensed business proprietors and their employees. Offenses such as selling marijuana without a license, giving marijuana to someone who is not legally allowed to possess it, and crossing state lines with marijuana will all still be misdemeanors or felonies, depending on the circumstances. Guidelines will be established to adequately dissuade and punish those who choose to conduct marijuana operations illegally. Jobs and the Economy Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, yet our government still focuses too much of its efforts on recruiting industry giants instead of supporting Maryland-based entrepreneurs and businesses. Maryland cannot place all its bets on trickle-down benefits from large corporations. We’ve got to build up from the bottom by investing in hard-working people. When I’m governor, we will: • Raise the minimum wage to $15 for all workers. At a time when corporate profits and executive compensation have reached all-time highs, the low-wage workers that make the wheels turn at these companies deserve a raise. We cannot be satisfied until the minimum wage is a living wage that does justice to the hard work that earns it. • Make Maryland the innovative national leader in preparing our people for the job market through non-collegiate pathways. We will build world class programs for business-led apprenticeships across the economy, expanding beyond traditional skilled trades. We will create non-traditional education programs for delivering job skills quickly and help match employers with talented people that have unconventional resumes. • Make it easier for new businesses to grow in Maryland. Government must be more than just a regulator of hard working business owners; it should be their greatest champion. • Support and grow industries of the future, like cybersecurity and biotechnology, that have strong roots in our states and utilize many of our skilled workers. We will make Maryland into the innovation hub it always should have been — leveraging our world class university system and highly educated workforce. Infrastructure and Transportation When I’m governor, we will: • Invest in a comprehensive plan for mass transit in our state that is more than just expanded highways. We need to think holistically about our transportation issues and what modern solutions will be most effective. • Revive the Red Line project to provide a mass transit solution for Baltimore and its surrounding areas. This is more than a transportation issue. It will be a social and economic boon for our state. • Prioritize proper funding of the Purple Line to ease transportation issues for those working in the DMV area, as well as a long-term funding solution for the DC Metro. • Bring back the study to look at building a Second Bay Bridge to invigorate the Lower Shore’s economy. We will also study the impact of another bridge off the Beltway to alleviate lengthy commute times caused by backups on the American Legion Bridge for Maryland residents. • Ensure affordable, world class, high-speed internet access for all Marylanders regardless of zip code so they can participate in today’s economy. We will focus on covering the gaps in wired networks in rural parts of the state and pushing out robust mobile wireless coverage statewide. Broadband is the infrastructure of the 21st century economy. Environment Green policies also provide a huge economic opportunity for Maryland. As a state with vast natural resources and a history of scientific expertise, Maryland must lead the way in addressing climate change and become leaders in the green economy. When I’m governor, we will: • Protect the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries and empower those who work the Bay and lead conservation efforts that ensure it remains our state’s greatest natural resource long into the future. • Make Maryland a leader in the green economy and become a hub for innovations that provide new ways for our world to operate in environmentally responsible ways. For example, we will promote fast-growing industries like solar and wind energy. We will provide incentives for construction and retrofitting of energy efficient building technologies. And we will support the expansion of electric cars by installing charging stations in public places across the state. •Encourage and invest in environmental tourism, particularly on the Bay and in Western Maryland, so that other our most beautiful natural places become destinations that draw tourists from all over the world to our state. • Work with state and local leaders to ensure that Maryland meets all of the goals of the U.S. Climate Alliance. Since leaders in Washington refuse to defend our planet, we must step up and join other states in pursuing the goals of the Paris Agreement. That means a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an increase in the share of renewable. Criminal Justice When I’m governor, we will: • Prioritize community policing and recruit officers to work in areas they call home, where they have existing relationships. • Acknowledge and take steps to remedy the injustices of past criminal justice tactics and work together with communities to empower their residents, not just punish. • Ensure that police units are properly funded and their officers are fairly compensated. • Expand pathways to rehabilitation for offenders that are addicted or have faced significant trauma, rather than just funneling them through a prison system that is solely punitive. • Legalize, regulate and tax the sale of marijuana for personal use, and expunge the records of any citizen charged or convicted of a marijuana-related crime. Read the full plan to follow in the footsteps of other states that have raised hundreds of millions in tax revenue by taking marijuana out of the black market and putting it under the rule of law. Labor When I’m governor, we will: • Strengthen the rights of organized labor, including their right to collective bargaining. We will work with labor organizations to make sure workers’ interests are represented and heeded in the policies we enact. • Raise the minimum wage to $15 for all workers. At a time when corporate profits and executive compensation have reached all-time highs, we will restore the economic rights of all workers. • Protect the rights of tipped workers and sub-minimum wage workers so they are able to participate in our economy and experience social mobility. • Require that contracts for government services and construction include living wages, proper benefits, and insurance for all workers. Health Care When I’m governor, we will: • Establish a state-run public option through Medicaid so that no matter what happens in Washington D.C., everyone in our state is able to receive quality health care. • Fight to reduce the costs of prescription drugs and make sure that pharmaceutical companies are not exploiting Marylanders. • Protect and preserve the best parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and make sure they are available to all Marylanders. • Make health care more accessible in all communities through models like community schools and rural dental and vision clinics. Opioid Crisis When I’m governor, we will: • Treat the opioid crisis as the public health crisis that it is — not merely a law enforcement issue. Without erasing that stigma, we will never been able to tackle this issue. • Invest in infrastructure to end this epidemic, such as educational campaigns about fentanyl-laced drugs and other risks. • Increase funding to provide more programs to train individuals to administer Naloxone in the case of overdose and add rehabilitation centers within prisons. • Train all law enforcement officials in the state to administer Naloxone in cases of overdose and make sure our communities have a consistent supply of Naloxone. • Allow opioid users who seek help to receive and access care without fear of arrest. • Prosecute those who create and distribute these often lethal drugs when they step outside strictly regulated procedures to prioritize profit over public health. Immigration When I’m governor, we will: • Stand up to the hateful rhetoric of Donald Trump’s administration towards immigrants in our country. Maryland will be the home of the resistance against his misguided policies, and we will protect our immigrants and their rights. • Work with the Maryland State Troopers to protect Maryland’s citizens and guests from overreaching ICE agents. • Work with state and federal legislators to protect the rights of Dreamers and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) grantees living in Maryland. • Extend state higher education scholarships and financial aid to all students in Maryland, regardless of immigration status. Civil Rights When I’m governor, we will: • Prioritize policies that promote equity and justice for all. • Build the most diverse governor’s cabinet in the history of the office, one that represents the interests and perspectives of all Marylanders. • Implement inclusive hiring practices for all government entities to eliminate discrimination within the system. • Continue the fight for gender equality — including equal pay and paid parental and sick leave. • Continue to expand and promote the rights of LGBTQ individuals in Maryland.[11] |
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| —Alec Ross for Maryland[16] | ||
Jim Shea
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Education On Governor Hogan’s watch, Maryland’s education rankings have declined and Maryland students’ scores fall in the middle of the pack on key metrics. These poor results are predictable given the Governor’s failure to properly invest in education. His first budget did not fund fully the Geographical Cost of Education Index, which allocates money to account for higher education costs in certain jurisdictions. He has maintained the inflationary index cap, limiting funds to education, despite a growing economy and increased state tax revenue. He also has diverted public funds from public schools to vouchers. He has even failed to increase education funding to match the rate of growth of the state’s General Fund. My priorities as Governor will be radically different. I will create a program for universal access to pre-k, because educational inequality cements itself before children set foot in the classroom. I will devote resources to programs that assist disadvantaged students, like community schools and after-school programs. I will work to develop a rigorous curriculum that is benchmarked against international standards and ends our reliance on high-stakes testing. I will create a funding system that treats and compensates Maryland’s educators like the professionals that they are, and provide them with the working conditions and support they need to do their jobs. Finally, I will ensure that our high schools graduate students who are college or career ready, and I will align our vocational and apprenticeship programs with the jobs that are available in the state. There is a price tag for these initiatives, but we have the resources we need to properly fund education. We must have the wisdom and courage to invest in the short-term to reap the substantial benefits of a good education. Failing to invest in education will impose far greater costs in terms of stunted lives, stifled opportunity, and a crippled state economy. We must begin by undoing the damage of Governor Hogan’s chronic underfunding of education. We need to immediately lift the inflationary cap, and our increases in funding for K-12 education must at least match the projected growth of the state’s General Fund budget. My first legislative package will include proposals to implement the recommendations of the Kirwan Commission, some of which will inevitably involve additional funding. To prepare Maryland’s students to succeed in the 21st century, we must build a world class education system. With my experience, I know how to achieve that goal. Maryland Students Deserve an Outstanding Education Unless we immediately address the weaknesses in our education system, we are going to be left behind. Under Maryland’s current Governor, we are moving in exactly the wrong direction. I have a plan to build a dramatically improved system, a plan which addresses early childhood education, K-12, affordable quality community college, vocational training, and four-year higher education. Specific objectives of my plan include: Universal early childhood education programs to prepare all children to learn at grade level from the outset of their formal educations. Increased support of programs to assist economically and educationally disadvantaged students. A rigorous and updated curriculum benchmarked against international standards, along with a system of accountability that meets federal standards while also ending our reliance on high- stakes testing. Programs to assure that we have highly effective and well compensated educators and school leaders operating in a system that provides a structure for professional development. A post-secondary education system that encourages and facilitates life-long learning, including vocational and professional training, to give students the knowledge and skills they need to compete for well-paying jobs. An adequate and equitable funding formula so school systems and public education institutions have the resources they need without regard to the relative wealth of particular communities. We must accomplish these ambitious objectives because we live in a world in which anything less than an excellent education system will not prepare our citizens to compete in a highly competitive world. Everyone in our state – from the youngest preschoolers to adults pursuing college and vocational training – should have access to the highest quality education. Education provides the surest path to opportunity and upward mobility and is our single most important public undertaking to compensate for the inherent inequities of birth. Providing a world class education is a right for all, not a privilege reserved for the few. Making that right a reality is the socially and morally responsible thing to do and in our collective self-interest. An education system that develops the full potential of all our citizens will produce and attract quality employers to our state and generate quality jobs for our citizens. An education system that delivers outstanding results will produce for our state leaders in business, science, medicine, arts, civic affairs, and other fields. These leaders will help the state to have the standard of living and cultural richness we want and deserve. Despite the obvious imperative of education to our state’s future, Governor Hogan is entirely without conviction when it comes to the subject. His actions confirm this. Governor Hogan has drastically underfunded schools, proposing budgets that fund education below the rate of inflation and below the growth of the state general revenue fund. He has hidden behind flawed and discredited funding formulas. He has cut and capped much-needed inflation and cost of living adjustments. He has adopted the failed education policies of Betsy DeVos and Donald Trump by diverting state funds to non-public schools. And rather than investing in our students and their futures, he is focused on altering school start dates and appointing ideologues to the State School Board who are hostile to public education. Governor Hogan’s misguided actions have produced predictably bad results. During his tenure, Maryland’s once pre-eminent system has slipped into the middle of the pack nationally. Of equal significance, we are falling far behind the other countries with which we are competing today and with which we will compete for decades to come. If not reversed, these trends portend economic disaster for the prospects for today’s students, for many Maryland families, and for the state’s overall well-being. The future strength of our state is tied inextricably to the strength of our system of public education. A mediocre education system – Governor Hogan’s legacy – weakens our state. In sharp contrast to Governor Hogan, I will lead the effort to build in Maryland an education system on par with the world’s best. That is the way for Marylanders to flourish. While some of this can be accomplished by managing costs and using current funds more efficiently and strategically, those steps, without more, will not suffice. Additional funding is needed, particularly to recover the significant ground lost under Governor Hogan. I will phase in this increase in funding, but start with proposing budget that fund education at the rate of inflation at a rate that at least meets General Fund growth. These investments will deliver new and better opportunities for a broader group of Maryland citizens, increased tax revenues from having more workers working in higher paying jobs, and savings in public funds by reducing costs in areas such as social services. We want our state to thrive. For the state and its people to do so, we must choose – and choose now – to make education our highest priority. The quality of life, fairness, and prosperity of our state depends on our reversing the serious erosion in education which has occurred under Governor Hogan, and getting to work immediately on building a world class education system. I am running for Governor to lead this effort. Governor Hogan Has Failed Maryland's Students Governor Hogan’s refusal to prioritize education has real negative consequences. In 2017, for example, after Governor Hogan proposed cutting state aid to Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS) by $42 million, BCPS was forced to lay off 300 staff, including almost 75 classroom teachers in core subject areas.10 This reduction in teachers significantly constrained the school system’s ability to provide children with an adequate education. Instead of proactively working with key stakeholders, including teachers, parents, the local jurisdiction, and the General Assembly, to fix problems in the City school system, Governor Hogan hides behind a broken funding formula. That is not leadership. As the state’s chief executive, Governor Hogan is accountable for the educational outcomes in our state. Here, again, he is failing and children are losing. Under Governor Hogan’s watch, Maryland’s K-12 ranking has slipped.11 On critical school tests, Maryland students are scoring in the second and third quartile in the country.12 When the best school systems in the United States compare unfavorably to the best systems in the world, scoring in the second and third quartile nationally is unacceptable. The results in the core subjects of English and math are particularly discouraging. In those areas, fewer than half of Maryland’s students are able to pass standardized tests.13 All of these poor results are the predictable “reap what you sow” products of Governor Hogan’s failure to make public education a priority. Maryland’s slipping national education performance means we are falling even further behind when compared to our global competitors. Those competitors are the graduates of educational systems in China, Japan, Singapore, Germany, and more. Maryland students scoring in the middle of the pack would be unacceptable even if their only competition were the other 49 states. The competitive field, however, is far larger than just 49 other states. It is the entire world. The students of today and tomorrow will live and work in a global competitive marketplace in which the educated citizenry of every country in the world are competing for the good jobs which pay good and growing wages. The anti-education policies of Governor Hogan have degraded our state’s education system. A continuation of those policies over another four years risks putting Maryland’s system of public education on an irreversible downward trajectory. To protect our future and that of our children, we must reverse that trajectory and replace Governor Hogan. We Can Create an Excellent System of Public Education The goal of my education plan is to assure that our state will provide a world class system of education. I will not be satisfied, nor should any Maryland citizen be satisfied, until everyone in our state who wants further education, vocational training, or retraining receives it without regard to present ability to pay. High school graduates need to be headed either to further education or to a job. In either case, they need to be prepared to succeed. Tragically, our state’s system today is not meeting that minimal threshold. Under my administration, high schools will produce college-ready or career-ready graduates. I will see that community colleges align their programs with the needs of Maryland’s businesses. Those graduating with an Associate’s Degree will be qualified for fulfilling high-paying work. We need apprenticeship programs to introduce new workers to the labor force and to retrain displaced workers for new jobs. This is more than just a typical policy plan, however. I have the real-world leadership experience to accomplish this plan and to transform our state’s educational system. First, I have the executive business experience to drive change. I directed the growth of what is now Maryland’s largest law firm, an organization that competes successfully in the global economy every day. Second, I have hands on experience in education as Chair of the University System of Maryland’s Board of Regents. As Chair, I oversaw the state’s public universities as they increased access to college to more students of all backgrounds, improved quality, and expanded their research facilities. I fought successfully to keep higher education affordable and to improve quality. I have the real-world experience of creating change, particularly in the area of education, that leads to valuable results. As governor, I will do the same, and push for the following improvements to our public education system: A. EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT IS THE FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS Children need to start out healthy to have a fair chance in education and in life. A child’s development begins before he or she is born. My administration will work to ensure that all mothers have access to prenatal care. In recent years, 32% of Maryland’s expectant mothers did not receive prenatal care in their first trimester, and almost 10% did not receive any prenatal care until their third trimester or at all.14 These percentages are even higher for minority and young mothers. This is morally wrong and, ultimately, economically and socially destructive. As Governor, I will support and expand programs like B’more for Healthy Babies, which strives to ensure that babies are born healthy and ready to thrive. We must also expand access to early childhood education. Other countries have policies to address the reality that educational inequity often cements itself before a child sets foot in school. We need to act likewise. We need programs which provide earlier and more effective interventions. The National Institute for Early Educational Research’s 2016 State of Preschool report ranked Maryland 13th in the country in the percent of 3-year olds who attend preschool, 16th in the country in the percent of 4-year olds who attend preschool, and 33rd in the country in state spending on preschool.15 This is a recipe for failure given how poorly the United States performs when compared to its competitors. The United States ranked in the bottom half in i) preschool participation for 4-year olds, ii) preschool participation for 3-year olds, iii) the average age that children begin early-childhood educational programs, and iv) total investment in early childhood education relative to country wealth.16 B. Additional Support For Economically Disadvantaged Students Is A Necessity Thoughtful and proactive education policies, supported with the necessary funding, are especially critical to maximize opportunities for economically disadvantaged students. Currently, a child’s zip code is predictive of educational attainment and future income, as children who are born in wealthier zip codes are more likely to go to college and earn higher incomes. This undeniable structural inequality puts the American Dream beyond the reach of too many Maryland children. I will demand a funding formula that accounts for concentrated poverty. In addressing the needs of economically disadvantaged students, as elsewhere, simply pouring more money in without accountability is not the answer. I will hold programs accountable for measurable results and I will hold the school districts accountable to ensure that the money is being spent on proven and effective programs. The fact is that it costs more to educate children from low-income communities than it does to educate children from higher income communities. Areas generating additional expenses include transportation, health care, and support services. In addition, the children in schools in lower income communities often lack an adequate educational foundation because their families could not afford pre-schools and other enrichment programs. Failing to account for concentrated poverty in Maryland’s funding formula results in schools with low-income students being unable to provide a quality education to their students, thereby perpetuating inequality for another generation. We need to expand after-school and summer programs to help Maryland’s underserved students reach their academic potential. Studies show that the lack of learning opportunities outside of the school setting, particularly during the extended summer break, is the cause of up to 66% of the achievement gap between students in low-income and high-income communities21. Extra instruction will help economically disadvantaged children catch up to their peers. This will avoid the necessity of teachers’ spending valuable class time filling gaps, allowing for more productive instruction of all students. After-school and summer programs in Maryland are proven to increase grade level reading and writing scores. The BELL Program, for example, which partners with schools and non-profits, offers educational after school programs for students in pre-k through 8th grade. In 2017, nearly 2,000 Baltimore City students from 14 Title I schools (serving disadvantaged students in high-poverty areas) attended BELL’s free summer program. In just five weeks, K-5 students on average gained two months of reading skills and middle schoolers gained three months of math skills. In addition, 96% of teachers reported seeing an increase in self-confidence, and 96% of parents reported increased involvement in their child’s education.22 Results were similar in BELL’s Montgomery County program. However, and notwithstanding this record of success, BELL is forced to turn away many students who would benefit from their programs because of limited funding. Governor Hogan is on the wrong side of these issues. His education budget eliminated about 20 of these programs, cutting services to 1,000 Baltimore students.23 Likewise, the FY2018 budget for summer programming in Baltimore City has been reduced by over $250,000.24 As Governor, I will do the opposite. I will fund initiatives like BELL to expand after-school and summer programs to better educate our children, reduce education inequality, and close the achievement gap. We also need to increase our commitment to community schools. Community schools are networks of partnerships between the host school and other community resource providers to promote student achievement as well as family and community well-being. Children who are hungry, or have a problem at home, or have not visited a doctor in years are less ready to learn than their peers. A recent study from Johns Hopkins concluded that simply providing disadvantaged students with eye glasses can close the reading gap.25 Community schools attack these problems by offering wrap-around services, including health care, eye care, and social services, in addition to more typical educational services. In 2018, largely due to Governor Hogan’s refusal to fund properly public education, the City of Baltimore will lose six of its community schools, negatively impacting about 3,400 families.26 Such defunding undermines education and is altogether counterproductive. Maryland needs to expand, not reduce the number of community schools. I commit to allocating the necessary funds to expand the use of community school coordinators by linking these funds to a larger strategy of accounting for concentrated poverty in the funding formula. C. MARYLAND’S INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS AND CURRICULA MUST BE UPDATED To be competitive in the 21st century, Maryland must implement a rigorous education program benchmarked against international standards. Under Governor Hogan, too many Maryland students are graduating without the skills they need to flourish in the economy and without the preparation to advance academically. We need an evidence-based system which identifies the knowledge and skills required for post-secondary education. This system will identify the gaps between what our students are learning and what they need to learn to succeed in four-year colleges and community colleges. It will identify pathways, without dead ends, that allow students to focus on desirable career paths with the flexibility to change paths or extend their education. We need better and more creative ways to measure performance and to assure accountability. We must hold our schools and school districts accountable. To do so, we will develop a system that allows comparison. As Governor, I will work with stakeholders to develop a plan that meets federal requirements while ending our reliance high-stakes testing. My administration will create strategies to compare and hold school districts accountable while allowing our students to focus their time and energy on learning and growing. Currently, we rely too heavily on standardized tests. New, state-developed standards will require accountability to proven instructional methods, while eliminating the current over reliance on high-stakes standardized testing. “Teaching to the test” is not the same as educating students. Our standardized testing culture leads to weeks of “teaching to the test” at the expense of meaningful learning time. Between kindergarten and 12th grade, a typical student takes 112 mandated standardized tests.27 Students are spending hundreds of hours per year preparing for and taking tests which, may teach them the ins and outs of how to take a test, but deadens their interest in learning and does not prepare them for further education or work readiness. I will give special attention to math and science programs. Careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are growth areas and these jobs pay well above-average wages. Currently, however, students in the U.S. underperform in critical areas such as mathematics as compared to their international peers.28 As a state, we must invest in math and science education, starting in the youngest grades, so that Maryland students D. Maryland Will Have The Most-Qualified Teachers And Principals Significant changes to educational outcomes will not occur unless we invest in our teachers and give them the support they need. This means i) improving the salaries of educators, ii) improving working conditions for teachers, including increased opportunities for professional growth and advancement and increased opportunities for greater compensation without going into administration, iii) reducing class sizes, and iv) strengthening the teacher training process. Maryland’s teachers are underpaid. The difference in income between teachers and comparable workers, the “teacher pay penalty,” is as bad as it has ever been. In 2015, US teachers made, on average, 17% less than comparable college-educated professionals. From 1996 to 2016, inflation adjusted wages for teachers decreased by $30 per week.29 We need to incentivize the best graduates to go into teaching, increase the competition for teaching jobs, and thereby improve the quality of the teacher applicant pool. Giving class room instructors a raise is a first step. The promise of a lifetime of competitive wages will bring the best and the brightest to the teaching profession. In addition to substantially improving teacher compensation, we need to address teachers’ working conditions. This starts with making schools safe, clean, and adequately supplied and equipped. While those are minimally necessary requirements, they are not sufficient. Teachers also need professional development opportunities and time to engage in these opportunities. They need time to participate in professional organizations and meetings. They need time to plan lessons and to develop teaching materials. And they need to time to work with colleagues to review and improve teaching methods and to develop strategies for individual students whose needs are not being met. We want good teachers to remain in the classroom, not to drift away to other lines of work or to school administration because those are the only paths to increased compensation. All of our teachers must be subject matter experts with the necessary skills to manage the classroom and teach the material. We need to develop measurable criteria to make these expectations a reality. I will expand effective teacher residency programs to give future teachers the hands-on learning opportunities and experience they need to be successful. I will work to pair every new teacher with an older and successful teacher who will serve as the new teacher’s mentor. This mentor will advise the new teacher on techniques and curriculum, while also giving support outside the classroom. I will work to create a culture of continuous improvement. A teacher’s education, like that of any other professional, is just beginning at the point of initial certification. Our teachers must continually work to improve their skills and capacity, and they must be given the resources they need to grow. I will strive to implement a peer review system so teachers sit in on each other’s classes to give teachers being observed (particularly new teachers) the opportunity to receive feedback, to improve teaching methods, and, ultimately, to enhance student performance. I also propose dedicating significant resources to hiring more teachers to decrease class sizes. Smaller classes provide children with the individual attention they need and reduce the burden on our teachers. Reducing class sizes correlates to a statistically significant and long-term improvement in educational outcomes, especially when the reduced class sizes are introduced in lower grades and in classes with low-income students.30 We must dedicate ourselves to limiting class sizes and lowering the pupil-teacher ratio so that each child receives the individual attention he or she needs. As of 2012, the average class size in Maryland was 22 students, with a significant percentage falling in the 36+ category.31 Further, we must hire additional paraeducators to reduce class sizes and provide individual attention to students who need it, along with more counselors, health care professionals, and pupil personnel workers. Strong schools require strong leaders because strong school leadership correlates to improved student outcomes. The work of the school leader is to create the cohesive system. Maryland must put a highly qualified principal in every school. To do that, I will create a “principal pipeline” and new principals will be matched with the right school environment and improved standards that define the qualities and responsibilities necessary to be an effective school leader. Prospective principals will get the specialized training they will need to be effective. I will create a Principal’s Academy to ensure that when a new leader walks into a school, he or she will be comfortable and prepared to succeed. We will incorporate input from successful principals across the state. New principals (just like new teachers) need a support system of mentors and peers to succeed. I will work to create a mentorship program for newly minted principals. E. 21ST CENTURY JOBS REQUIRE EXCELLENT VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING As Governor, I will ensure that Maryland students have access to excellent vocational training in high schools, community colleges, and specialized training and apprentice programs. We need to revamp our community college and apprenticeship programs so students will gain the skills they need to compete in the global economy. My background in business prepares me to partner with the business community to align the needs of businesses with the curricula in high schools, community colleges, and apprenticeship/technical programs. Graduates of these improved programs will have the skills to move directly into skilled positions which pay well. Community colleges play a huge role in preparing students for further educational opportunities and for future employment. More than forty percent of undergraduate students in the United States attend community college.32 Students who earn a community college degree, rather than stopping at high school, earn nearly twenty percent more annually than those with only a high school diploma.33 I intend to focus on developing effective and affordable training programs for all Marylanders. I will work with businesses, unions, and non-profits from across the state to develop these programs. Many high school graduates do not want or need to go on to college; however, these students likely need supplemental training to have the skills necessary for a well-paying job. Likewise, many Maryland employees who want to keep working are finding that their positions have been displaced by automation and globalization. High school graduates and displaced workers deserve effective and affordable apprenticeship and retraining programs. We have a wide variety of locations and settings in which to provide training and retraining programs. School facilities are available evenings and weekends, and community college facilities are well suited for these purposes. We need to work with employers to identify the types of skilled workers they need and anticipate needing and engage those employers with training professionals to develop and execute the appropriate programs. The strength and prosperity of our state, to say nothing of individual satisfaction and prosperity, depend upon fully developing the talents of our citizens. Given the speed with which our economy is changing, speed which will only increase in the years ahead, skills once needed are less marketable or not needed at all while new skills are in great demand. Training and retraining are needed so workers’ skills match employers’ needs. F. EXCELLENT EDUCATION REQUIRES FULLY ADEQUATE FUNDING Properly funding public education is expensive. In the long term, however, failing to fund education is far more expensive in lost productivity and underutilized human capital. Targeted increases to education funding will produce significant returns on investment. We cannot afford to continue to fail our students and, ultimately, ourselves and our state’s quality of life and economy, by having anything less than a world class education system. A Northwestern University study found that a 10% increase in per-pupil funding is associated with a 7% increase in earnings when the student reaches the age of 40.34 The increase in salary for each student would be associated with an increase in income tax revenue of about $6,800 per student, totaling an estimated $162 million per year. The difference in weekly salary between those without a high school diploma, with a high school diploma, with an Associate’s degree, and with a Bachelor’s degree is stark. Those with a high school diploma earn, on average, 37% more than those without a high school degree; those with an Associate’s degree earn, on average, 17% more than those with a high school degree; and those with a Bachelor’s degree earn 43% more than those with an Associate’s degree.35 If we focus additional state public education funding on graduating high school students who are prepared to continue their academic careers, the quality of life for all Marylanders will increase and the state will generate additional tax revenue (both income and sales tax) far in excess of its investment in education. The full multiplier effect of investing in education must also include the reduced costs which result from having a better-educated population. A 2012 study of high school dropouts in Maryland found that the state would save $160 million per year on incarceration and criminal justice if the state increased the graduation rate of male high schoolers by five percent.36 A 2008 study from the Columbia Teacher’s College estimated that, when accounting for the increase in income and sales taxes, and the decrease in health care, criminal justice, and safety net costs, a targeted and carefully orchestrated investment in public education is associated with a 250% return on investment.37 In order to appropriately fund public education, I will work with each of the 24 local education authorities to identify potential savings through joint purchasing and other mechanisms. In FY2014, school districts across the state spent about $12 billion on public education from federal, state, and local sources. About 18% of that spending went to non-classroom expenses, including materials, transportation, and energy.38 Saving five percent on these non-classroom costs through joint purchasing initiatives and other cost-saving options would free up about $110 million dollars per year. Over the course of a five-year period, the total savings would add up to over $500 million. A Governor who truly prioritizes education must reflect this commitment in the budget. Given Governor Hogan’s record to date, it is almost impossible to imagine his taking any substantive action on the Kirwan Commission funding recommendations during the balance of his term in office. As such, Maryland’s next Governor will likely inherit the same flawed funding formula that is currently failing our public school students. The Kirwan Commission will point the way for what we must do. Maryland must invest boldly in education. In large measure, this will be a matter of mustering the political will. We have met this challenge previously, however. In 2002, for example, when the state decided to fund the Thornton Plan (which created a new funding formula for state aid to Maryland’s 24 school districts), Maryland’s budget for education was $2.6 billion.39 The $1.7 billion Thornton program represented a 65.5% increase in education funding, as well as a 17.6% increase in state general fund spending. If, in 2018, we commit to a similar increase in education funding based on the findings of the Kirwan Commission, the new $1.5 billion investment will increase the state education budget by 26.5% and will represent an 8.7% increase in state spending.40 While finding the dollars needed for education will not be easy, it is attainable if we commit to a plan and phase it in over five years. Currently, however, we are falling behind. During the past three years, Governor Hogan has failed to increase education funding at the same rate as general fund growth. Had he done so, the State would have provided local jurisdictions with $360 million in additional funding. Over a five-year period, that number would grow to about $600 million. Fully funding a new effective public education system will take time and, again, political will. If, however, we commit fully to a bold plan to have an education system rivalling the best in the world, the benefits to our children and our state will be enormous and more than justified. Consistent with my commitment to make Maryland the best in education, in January 2019, in my first budget, I will i) lift the inflationary cap that has done so much damage to public education financing and student outcomes, ii) propose an increase in K-12 education funding that at least matches the projected growth of the State’s General Fund budget, and iii) introduce legislation to adopt and implement the recommendations of the Kirwan Commission. A World-Class Education System Is Achievable I understand what needs to be done and I have the background in leadership positions, in education and in business, to accomplish this truly important job for our state and its people. With your support and a strongly shared commitment to the value of education, we can make Maryland’s public education system the standard against which all other systems are measured Transportation The cities and states across the country that are investing strategically in public transit are successfully driving economic growth, improving the quality of life, and protecting the environment. Unfortunately, Maryland, often labeled a beacon of progressive values and forward-thinking ideas, has fallen behind. Maryland has historically been a transit hub with a vibrant port and a beneficial location on the northeast corridor. Yet, under the Hogan Administration, there is a grim sense of powerlessness and inevitability with respect to the state’s congestion problem. Their actions in the field of transportation are characterized by a lack of planning, mistakes, and an absence of imagination. These failures of omission and commission have left our transportation systems in dire need of investment and new leadership. Maryland needs a state-wide, integrated transit plan. Developing a comprehensive plan that updates the existing systems and utilizes new ideas to expand the public transit options across the state would revolutionize Maryland and make it an even more desirable place to live, work, and visit. As former Chair of the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance and with my service to Greater Baltimore Committee Board of Directors, I have firsthand experience in improving and expanding transportation options for citizens and businesses. I know that, if we want to live in a vibrant state with a flourishing economy and opportunity for everyone, we must be willing to invest in transportation to reap long-term benefits rather than focusing on short-term returns. As Governor, I will: Implement a state-wide transportation vision that accounts for how each piece fits together into a larger and more-integrated transportation system. Undo Governor Hogan’s unforgivable and inexplicable decision to cancel the Red Line. Oversee the completion of the Purple Line and look for ways to improve the service so it reaches its full potential. Integrate Baltimore and Washington, D.C.’s transit systems so they use the same payment technology to provide a more fluid service to Marylanders. Invest in transportation infrastructure in Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, and the Eastern Shore that combats congestion and improves transit outcomes. Push for clear accountability standards, including adhering to the Transportation Scoring Bill, instituting a board that oversees MTA, and making ridership data available for all of Maryland’s public transportation systems. My record in both business and civic affairs is one of leading large organizations to accomplish big things. As Chair of Venable, I grew the law firm by 1000% by developing a plan, outlining proper metrics, and executing. As Chair of the Board of Regents for the University System of Maryland, I led an organization with a budget of $5.4 billion, 12 institutions, 160,000 students, and 40,000 employees to improve the quality of and access to higher education in Maryland. As the inaugural Chair of the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, I advocated for improved transit outcomes throughout the greater Baltimore region. I uniquely have the experience and leadership skills to implement the progressive policies we know will move Maryland forward. The Hogan Administration's Transit Failures Governor Hogan has foiled transformative opportunities to increase interconnectivity within our cities and across our state. He began his tenure in the most enviable of positions. Baltimore was poised to finally realize the benefits of decades of planning and advocacy with the construction of the Red Line, and the Washington, D.C. area was on its way to beginning construction on the Purple Line. Despite finding himself in such an attractive position, he pulled hundreds of millions of dollars out of public transportation projects and put them into road widenings and construction.1 He and his Secretary of Transportation, Pete Rahn, explicitly acknowledge that they do not see the value that public transit infrastructure has in spurring economic development.2 They do not understand that the economic attractiveness of our state is inextricably linked to transportation. Our traffic congestion is a significant barrier to attracting businesses. Look no further than Amazon’s guidelines for a second North American headquarters. Access to mass transit is listed as one of the most important qualities of a potential location.3 In short, Larry Hogan has become the anti-public transit governor. Most of Governor Hogan’s antipathy towards public transit has targeted Baltimore City. At the beginning of his first term, his administration developed an infrastructure plan – one that focused completely on roads and bridges and not public transit – and quite literally eliminated Baltimore City from the map that laid out future infrastructure investments.4 Governor Hogan’s staff tried to spin the mess by claiming that the map did not represent Governor Hogan’s feelings towards the city of Baltimore. As the Governor’s subsequent actions confirmed, however, the map, not the spin, reflected the Governor’s true intentions. The single most substantive transportation policy that Governor Hogan has taken is cancelling the Red Line. This mean spirited and painfully political action damaged Baltimore’s long-term transit prospects while, at the same time, costing the state close to one billion dollars in federal funds.5 He then took the remaining state money and put it into road construction projects outside of the city limits and into his politically-favored jurisdictions. Governor Hogan’s decision to cancel the Red Line is inexcusable for two reasons. First, many of the communities in West Baltimore and East Baltimore that would have been served by such a line badly need the investment. They need a transit lifeline. They need access to jobs that pay well, grocery stores with healthy food options, doctors, and schools. The Red Line would have increased economic and social opportunity in Baltimore for tens of thousands of people. Sound transportation policy is one of the surest and most efficient ways to combat economic inequality. Second, the Red Line was an integral part of a larger plan for public transit in Baltimore. It would have connected the Baltimore Metro with the Light Rail, and it would have served as a spine upon which the city and state could build additional rails. The Red Line was a key step to creating a modern transportation system in Baltimore. Governor Hogan’s decision to cancel the Red Line stopped these much-needed developments which would have greatly benefitted both Baltimore and the state as a whole. Baltimore’s consolation prize after Governor Hogan cancelled the Red Line was BaltimoreLink. To start, a revamping of Baltimore’s bus system was supposed to happen in addition to, not in lieu of, the construction of the Red Line. Larry Hogan did Baltimore no favor by proceeding with BaltimoreLink as a claimed “alternative.” Further, BaltimoreLink is not any more effective than the previous version of the bus system. A study by the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance found that the BaltimoreLink system “does not deliver on MTA’s promises of ‘transformative’ change.” Access to jobs for the average resident of the region did not increase significantly and was worse on weekends.6 There are limited, if any, improvements in access to Baltimore City Schools and grocery stores that sell healthy food options. The city of Baltimore lost a transformative opportunity and was given a revamped bus system that simply does not improve transit outcomes. The Governor’s record in other jurisdictions in the state is no better. In Prince George’s and Montgomery County, Governor Hogan severely threatened the Purple Line’s prospects when he pulled hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding.7 On the campaign trail and in his first months in office, Hogan repeatedly questioned whether the Purple Line was necessary and criticized the previous administration for the cost.8 Because of the cuts in state funding, the Purple Line is proceeding with a less robust and less competitive service.9 When construction began, Transportation Secretary said that he believes the Purple Line will be Governor Hogan’s “legacy” to Maryland.10 Yes, Governor Hogan’s legacy will be cancelling or minimizing potential returns from transformative public transit projects that were planned and designed prior to his administration. The Hogan Administration took the state money that would have been allocated to the Red Line and Purple Line, and additional money from the Transportation Trust Fund, and put it into widening roads. While we need to continually maintain our highways and bridges so they are safe and useful, widening roads has been proven to be unsound transportation policy. One of the roads that Governor Hogan has widened, Rt. 404 on the Eastern Shore, actually takes people out of Maryland and into Delaware to spend money outside of the state. Widening road induces demand, attracting more cars and leading to the same result – bumper to bumper traffic during rush hour. This generated traffic renders the road widening projects relatively useless in the long-term. Governor Hogan’s announcement that he will spend $9 billion dollars widening 495, I-270, and the Baltimore Washington Parkway was a press release, not a transportation plan.11 He has no actual plan for any of these projects. Land has not been acquired; engineering and environmental studies have not been conducted; funds have neither been identified nor allocated. The Governor’s announcement is a preelection pipe dream designed to mislead voters into thinking that congestion relief is on the way. His past decisions have proven that these promises will go unfulfilled. Governor Hogan’s decision to veto the transportation scoring bill is another example of his disdain for public transit. The transportation scoring bill would have ranked the pending transportation projects in the state and required an explanation if a project receives state funding over one that is ranked higher. This bill would have guided decision making to assure that limited funds are used efficiently and that there is a process to impose accountability for meeting the state’s transportation needs. The Governor and his Transportation Secretary should, at a minimum, be required to explain why they propose to fund a lower-ranked project over a higher-ranked one. That is altogether reasonable. In criticizing the bill, Governor Hogan snidely, yet revealingly, characterized it as the “Road Kill Bill.”12 Governor Hogan thus recognizes that prioritizing the best and most effective projects would put public transit infrastructure in front of road construction projects. He knows that in many cases throwing more dollars into roads at the expense of public transit is poor transit policy, but he insists on being at liberty to do so anyway. Governor Hogan rejected this sound bill because he did not want any checks on his allocation of transportation funds. Governor Hogan is seemingly allergic to accountability. In addition to refusing to comply with the scoring bill, he also vetoed in 2016 the Maryland Transportation Administration Oversight and Planning Bill, which would have created an oversight board that consisted of members representing the ridership of the MTA.13 The MTA is one of the only major transportation systems in the United States without an oversight board, yet Governor Hogan vetoed it, calling it a “sophomoric attack on sound transportation policy.”14 Again, what drove Governor Hogan’s decision was his unwillingness to be accountable for his decisions. His opposition to the oversight bill is also in line with his lack of regard for the transportation interests of those in the Greater Baltimore area. By vetoing the oversight bill, Governor Hogan achieved his objective of denying the bulk of MTA’s ridership any opportunity for review, comment, or input. Jurisdictions in which the Governor polls better receive better treatment. Governor Hogan’s rank political maneuvering does not produce thoughtful transportation policy. A Fully-Integrated Statewide Plan for Transportation I have a lifetime of experience in successfully leading complex organizations and attaining tangible results. I served for ten years as the inaugural chair of the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, where I advocated for improved public transit options throughout the state. For 22 years, I was Chair of Venable LLP, where I grew the firm into the largest law firm in Maryland, creating thousands of jobs in the process. As Chair of the Board of Regents of the University of Maryland System, I oversaw a budget of $5.4 billion and 12 universities, 160,000 students, and 40,000 employees, and improved our higher education system by expanding access and improving quality. The formula for success in all of these endeavors was simple. I developed a plan, set clear goals, outlined measurable objectives, and set the plan in motion. I recruited, hired, and trained competent and motivated individuals, and held them accountable to their performance objectives. As Governor, I will apply this formula to fix our urgent transportation problems. Transit Between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Currently, Marylanders have two options to travel between the D.C. region and Baltimore. One option is driving. In 2016, INRIX, a transportation research and consulting firm, studied traffic congestion in cities throughout the world. Of the 240 cities INRIX studied in the United States, Washington D.C. suffers from the 6th worst congestion and Baltimore suffers from the 33rd worst congestion.16 Marylanders often spend 90 or more minutes commuting via car. The other option that Marylanders have is public transit. Unfortunately, for those who live in the D.C. or Baltimore area, a trip on the MARC takes about an hour. After accounting for time spent getting to and from Penn and Union Station, the commute time is often 100 minutes. In order to entice Marylanders to use public transit to limit congestion and protect our environment, public transit must be a more attractive option than driving. Today, it is not. To improve public transportation between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, as Governor, I will start by addressing operational issues with the MARC trains. If people are going to use public transportation on a daily basis, they must be confident that the service will get them where they need to go reliably. When a MARC train is delayed, because of a breakdown or otherwise, commuters are late for work or school and understandably less likely to use public transit in the future. To attract more riders and reduce congestion, I will push to increase the number of trains moving between the two cities on MARC lines and to add additional rush hour non-stop service between Penn Station and Union Station. Currently, on the Penn Line, the ride during rush hour between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. can take up to 70 minutes. That means that the door-to-door commute time may exceed 100 minutes. A public transit option that takes nearly as long or longer than driving is an unattractive option. If we create non-stop options between the two stations, the train ride would take about 30 minutes, and the total commute would take less than an hour. Further, especially on the Camden Line, the MARC system offers too few train times in the morning and evening. Increasing the number of trains on the MARC simply gives riders additional options that may fit into their schedules. These changes would make public transit a much more attractive option for those who commute between the Baltimore and Washington metro areas on a daily basis, thus reducing congestion, improving quality of life, and preserving the environment. Marylanders travelling from their homes or jobs to Penn or Union Station accounts for a significant portion of the commute time. Therefore, to improve the service, not only will I work to institute an express train between Baltimore and D.C., but I will also work to ensure that transportation hubs are well-connected within local transportation systems. Particularly in Baltimore, city and state government must do more to provide public transit opportunities that connect population and job centers to Penn Station quickly and efficiently. The local bus, rail, bike, and bus rapid transit systems must be integrated into MARC stops from New Carrollton through West Baltimore and all the stops in-between. Further integrating the major transit hubs with local transit systems would go a long way to making public transit an attractive commuting option for Marylanders. As Chair of the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, I have advocated for and worked on these issues for over a decade. Just in the past several years, we successfully pushed for the expansion of MARC service to Marylanders, particularly on the weekends, as well as dedicated bus lanes throughout Baltimore to improve the bus service.17 18 The state of Maryland will have to work with all interested parties, including Amtrak and CSX, to make sure that the MARC provides the necessary service to Maryland. In fact, it is the Governor’s role to spearhead these discussions and advocate on behalf of the commuters in Maryland. I am confident that we can find a deal that improves the MARC service in Maryland while remaining true to our obligations with CSX and Amtrak. Each of these proposals to improve the commute between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. are short-term fixes. We also need to consider longer-term solutions that hold the prospect of providing revolutionary transit infrastructure and service to Marylanders. In studying these proposals, we must ensure that if, for example, we are going to spend public money on modernized, high-speed projects between Washington DC and Baltimore, the results are accessible to all Marylanders. We need fast and reliable options that all Marylanders can use to get to work or school. Transit Within Greater Washington Region Improving D.C.’s public transportation system would improve the quality of life of all Maryland, including for those who do not live in the immediate D.C. area, help to protect our environment, and grow our economy. Governor Hogan’s actions do not reflect an understanding of the importance of the connections between D.C. and Maryland. He has continually put the Purple Line on life-support. While Governor Hogan did not kill the Purple Line, as he did the Baltimore Red Line, he did pull hundreds of millions of dollars from the project, making the Purple Line less reliable and less frequent. A service that is not reliable or frequent simply does not present a more attractive option than driving. With regards to the Metro system in D.C., Governor Hogan has also failed. Marylanders take about 430,000 trips on WMATA transit infrastructure each day.20 Marylanders rely on the Metro to get to and from work in a timely fashion. Governor Hogan’s grandstanding in meetings with regional leaders and refusal to work collaboratively to solve problems is indicative of his larger antipathy towards public transit.21 As Governor, I will work to improve transit outcomes in Washington, D.C. My top priority will be overseeing the completion and integration of the Purple Line. When I am elected, the Purple Line will be in the hands of someone who actually recognizes the value and importance of public transit. I will look to reinforce the Purple Line with the funding it needs to realize its full potential. Also, I will work to ensure that the Purple Line is properly integrated into the existing public transit options in Maryland. Not only should it connect seamlessly to the Metro system in D.C., but it also should provide easy access to the MARC and existing bus lines. The Baltimore, Maryland and D.C. public transit systems should all use the same technology and payment systems. A rider should be able to move seamlessly from the Metro in D.C. to the MARC and then to the Light Rail in Baltimore using the same payment card. The next Governor of Maryland must also look at ways to work with Washington, D.C. and Virginia. The Metro in D.C. is the only major system in the nation without a dedicated and consistent source of funding.22 As Governor, I will work with all of the entities involved, including the federal government, Washington, D.C. government, and Commonwealth of Virginia, to find a dedicated source of funding. Marylanders across the state rely on the Metro system, and we should pay our fair share. I will collaborate with local jurisdictions in Maryland to give them the flexibility they need to provide funds for a dedicated source. Also, I will work with these parties to connect the MARC and VRE without having to stop and transfer at Union Station. The Maryland-D.C.-Virginia economy is already one of the most robust in the world. However, the current relationship between the jurisdictions mostly focuses on who pays how much and who can poach the next 50-person corporate headquarters. If, instead, all three of these entities work together to build the Maryland-D.C.-Virginia economy, including expanding current transit infrastructure to create a seamless system, our region would be better off economically, environmentally, and culturally. Looking at possible investments in transit infrastructure through the lens of a comprehensive regional system, where the sum is greater than the total of the parts, and not as individual lines or projects, is crucial for sound transit policy. In the Washington DC area, there are additional transportation plans that should be considered to further expand the network. For example, the state of Maryland should work with Richmond to find a deal that would expand the American Legion Bridge with a lane or two that could then be converted to a track for Purple Line expansion into Northern Virginia. Rather than building a second bridge, which would cost more, threaten agricultural reserves, and require significant political capital in both Annapolis and Richmond, this option would work to alleviate some congestion in the short term while providing options in the long term to expand mass transit. Further, the Maryland counties in the DC area have studied the usefulness and effectiveness of Bus Rapid Transit projects, like the Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT). With the amount of traffic that Marylanders sit in on 270, it would make sense to look to add a lane or two for other bus rapid transit options. If these projects connect to existing public transit infrastructure to augment access to the DC Metro system and present an additional option other than driving, they could, as a part of a larger system, improve public transit outcomes. Transit within Baltimore Metro Region As Governor, one of my top transportation priorities will be reviving the Red Line. The city of Baltimore, the state of Maryland, and the federal government all got behind the original Red Line plan, which had been in the works for decades, because it would have provided the best service to Marylanders and rejuvenated the city. Governor Hogan lambasted the Red Line because it included a tunnel under the Inner Harbor, calling the plan a “boondoggle.” However, Larry Hogan has recently expressed support for a tunnel that would run from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. It seems that, according to Governor Hogan, spending money on tunneling is a boondoggle if it benefits Baltimore and distressed communities, but not if it benefits the wealthy who can afford hundred dollar tickets for train rides. Failing to develop a modern, quick, and reliable public transit system in Baltimore puts the city at a significant disadvantage, hurting the economy and the quality of life. Amazon has indicated that access to public transit for employees is a key component to their search for a second North American headquarters. Further, access to jobs on public transit is a key component of fighting economic stratification. Prioritizing the completion of the Red Line and starting the creation of a functional and expansive public transit system will significantly improve Baltimore’s prospects for decades to come. The original planning of the Red Line took decades, with environmental reviews, a long line for federal money, and a concerted effort to get the interests in line and public support. It is unrealistic to expect to fly through the same process in a matter of a couple of years. Therefore, while we plan to revive the Red Line, we also must look for other ways to improve transit outcomes in the city of Baltimore. A Bus Rapid Transit system in the city, starting with an East-West line running across North Avenue could be effective. This system could then be expanded to connect the major population and job centers across the greater Baltimore region. We should begin, as quickly as we can, the process of reviving the Red Line. We must also look for ways, in the short term, to improve transportation options in the city. Another improvement we can make to Baltimore’s transportation systems is dedicating additional resources for the biking community. The city should expand, not reduce, the number of bike lanes in the city. All buses, MARC trains, and Light Rail lines should be outfitted with bike racks. Transit hubs throughout the region should include additional bike racks. We should begin, as quickly as we can, the process of reviving the Red Line. We must also look for ways, in the short term, to improve transportation options in the city. The state of Maryland must work with Baltimore City’s government to repurpose the bus system to compliment the rail lines and other existing transit systems. BaltimoreLink, as currently operated, does a very poor job in complimenting the Light Rail and Baltimore Metro, and commute times and scores are reflective of this failure. As we push forward on the Red Line again, and then plan the addition of other rails and spurs, we must also focus on effectively utilizing the bus system as a complimentary option that connects major transit hubs, both locally and regionally. For example, the bus system must do a better job providing quick and reliable access to Penn and Camden Station. While the Light Rail helps, it does not move people east and west. If people do not have quick, frequent, and reliable access to the regional transit hubs, any larger project that connects Baltimore to cities along the Northeast Corridor, including Washington, D.C., will not be nearly as helpful for the greater Baltimore area. The state of Maryland must partner with localities to do more in job centers outside of the city of Baltimore. When riders use the current Baltimore Metro to reverse-commute to Owings Mills, there is not reliable public transit that connects the Baltimore Metro stops to jobs. Similarly, the Light Rail connects Baltimore to Towson, but there is not a local option that connects light rail stops to job centers. Again, this comes back to one of Maryland’s largest transit failures. We have individual pieces of infrastructure that help, but we do not have a cohesive system. As Governor, I will develop a transportation vision that is well integrated and provides quick and reliable options. As we develop new transportation infrastructure, we must also work diligently to improve the condition of current infrastructure. For example, Baltimore’s Metro line needs significant upgrading. The system at large is plagued with corroding electrical equipment, debilitating air quality, rodent infestations, and mothballs. Anecdotes from a 2016 visit to the Mondawmin Metro Stations indicate just how critical the problems have become. Electrical wires are frayed and dangling into puddles. Trash and filth often cover the third rail. The main command switchboard is out of date and decaying. Air filters are unmaintained. Mothballs are periodically used to cover the smell of rotting rat carcasses. This must change. In order for the Metro to realize its full potential, it needs upgraded facilities and continued investment to ensure these types of problems are dealt with at the time, rather than piling up like they have now. Further, these conditions are extremely dangerous for the employees who work in the Baltimore Metro system. We have seen deteriorating conditions prove deadly for transit workers in other states. When I am Governor, not only will we make these necessary continual investments, but we will also develop a strong relationship with the interested parties to respond to their concerns in constructive ways. A Plan for The Eastern Shore, Southern Maryland, Western Maryland I will examine the possibility of expanding the MARC Brunswick Line into Garrett County in Western Maryland. Currently, the Brunswick Line runs from Union Station in Washington, D.C. to Martinsburg, West Virginia, with only a two-stop extension into Frederick County. As a result, tens of thousands of people living in Western Maryland have limited access to other regional job centers and central Maryland on public transit. That will change when I am elected Governor. The current Brunswick line does not provide a reliable option for those who live in Frederick and commute to D.C. A full 68% of Frederick County commuters to D.C. travel in a car.25 Improving the Brunswick Line service will help alleviate congestion across the state, but especially on 495 and I-270. Similarly, I will convene regional leaders to discuss potential enhancements to the existing, and very limited, public transit options on the Eastern Shore. It is nearly impossible to navigate the Eastern Shore without a car. Multi-county transit services such as Shore Transit and Maryland Upper Shore Transit (MUST) need to be integrated into the statewide plan. I will carefully review these services to determine how they could expand or compliment other transit infrastructure. Finally, we will continue to prioritize improving the interstate system around cities and towns on the Eastern Shore and in Western Maryland. One of my first actions as Governor will be to order an assessment of the bridges and tunnels across the state to prioritize preventative maintenance. In Somerset County, 19.1 percent of the bridges are structurally deficient. Similarly, in Garrett County, 12.9 percent of the bridges are structurally deficient.26 The state government must commit to funding the necessary maintenance required for our transit infrastructure to improve the safety and efficiency of our roads. In Southern Maryland, overseeing a successful rejuvenation of the Harry Nice Bridge is critical for transportation outcomes. Also, the Thomas Johnson Bridge between Calvert and St. Mary’s counties needs to be reinforced and expanded. We will remain committed to servicing our roads and bridges so that routine maintenance does not become exorbitantly expensive reconstruction due to past neglect. Road and bridge safety is one of the most important driving factors behind an effective transportation plan. Our roads must be safe for the millions of drivers, passengers, and vehicles that use Maryland roads on a daily basis. All of these infrastructure projects will improve the economy, environment, and quality of life of people living in communities across Maryland. Transit Affordability Developing an all-encompassing public transit system will create an inter-connected populace and increase the economic attractiveness of our state. Moreover, the infrastructure investments themselves will lead to significant short-term and long-term economic gains. For example, in the short term, physical infrastructure projects will create thousands of good jobs with living wages. And, studies show that in the long term, infrastructure investment more than pays for itself through economic growth. The Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore is a great example of the substantial return on investing in infrastructure projects. The Terminal was directly responsible for significant additional tax flow into the state, $140 million in new funding for transportation improvements, and 5,700 new jobs.27 Instead of treating infrastructure spending as a cost to the state, we must consider the long-term economic advantages it presents. There are other creative ways to finance infrastructure that do not require the state and local governments to bear the full cost. One example is public-private partnerships (P3s). As Governor, I will remain open to P3s and the opportunities they present to invest in infrastructure throughout the state. In Maryland alone, public-private partnerships are responsible for the successful completion of the Seagirt Marina Terminal and I-95 Travel Plazas at Chesapeake House and Maryland House, and the Purple Line is also being partially funded through a P3.28 In other states, P3s have been used to fund highway construction projects, rail projects, school construction, and city park developments. Many of these projects would not have moved forward without private money. However, we must be vigilant. These partnerships must only be used in situations in which there is not enough capital for the project to move forward, and they cannot devolve into yet another system of corporate handouts. In the original negotiation of these deals, we must impose significant quality standards to the infrastructure is maintained and so it provides a valuable service to Marylanders. I will seek out and be responsive to new opportunities for infrastructure projects and ensure that the state money is being used effectively to benefit the citizens of Maryland. Transit Accountability That process is exactly what the transportation scoring bill requires. Projects must be compared to each other for effectiveness and return on investment, and the ones with the best results will be prioritized. Then, if a project that, for some reason, does not compare well to others but is crucial for our transit infrastructure, I will write an open letter to the public explaining my decision. Again, this comes down to the fact that Marylanders should be confident that the Governor is allocating their tax dollars effectively. I will also work to pass a bill that creates an oversight board for Maryland Transit Administration (MTA). The MTA is one of the only major transportation systems that does not have an oversight board. While following the guidelines set forth in the transportation scoring bill will help, an oversight board will be tasked with providing accountability to the selection of appropriate projects and also ensuring that the implementation is efficient and smooth. I will work to make sure that the oversight board properly represents the MTA’s ridership. The people who use the services the most should have a proportional say in how the MTA is run and the decisions the MTA makes. By establishing an oversight board, my administration will make it clear that we want to be held accountable. When we do a good job, we want people to know. When we don’t, we want to be notified immediately and we want to fix the problem. My administration will institute the necessary accountability standards to ensure that it is actually providing the best service it can to the people of Maryland. Finally, I will work closely with my Transportation Secretary to make public MTA data on the reliability, speed, and efficiency of our transit systems. When developing the different routes for the new and unimproved BaltimoreLink, the Hogan Administration failed to provide data on important metrics so that the system could be studied, compared, and graded. When one couples this with his pushback on other accountability measures, including the transportation scoring bill and the MTA oversight board, a pattern appears. He does not want to be held to account. I will make the ridership data publicly available so that Marylanders across the state can track the speed and reliability of Maryland’s public transit. We should not hide the results of our transit systems. We should study them and devise steps to make the systems more efficient and attractive to Maryland’s citizens. By routinely making the ridership data available, we will invite discussion and ideas, and we will be held accountable to the people. A First-Rate Transit System Job and Wage Growth As Governor, I will foster an environment that promotes economic growth and creates good-paying jobs, expanding opportunity and giving hard-working Marylanders the raise they need. I will build our economy from the middle out to create, once again, a dynamic middle class. I will work with private and public-sector employers to expand economic opportunity so that workers across the state can provide for their families and save for college and retirement. My administration will train Marylanders for the jobs of today and prepare Marylanders for the jobs of tomorrow. To start, Maryland must build on its strengths. Our state has the benefit of being located in one of the most economically dynamic regions in the world. We also have the benefits of a world-class port, major federal government research facilities, and some of the world’s best colleges and universities. The state is not now building bridges among these various institutions. We are also not leveraging our advantages to create opportunity for everyone. Far too often, jobs and additional wages go to the wealthy. Maryland’s government must work diligently to make sure that all Marylanders can participate in and derive value from these strengths. A good education system is the backbone of an economy. Businesses, particularly high-tech businesses, need a strong labor supply. Look no further than Amazon’s request for proposal for a second North American headquarters. One of Amazon’s top requirements is a strong K-12 education system and quality higher education institutions. Start-ups and small businesses, the lifeblood of job growth, are often created by entrepreneurs who develop their skills in the classroom. There is a distinct and undeniable correlation between a Marylander’s level of education and their wage. As Governor, education will be my top priority. I will revamp our system so that all high school students graduate college or career ready. Investment in infrastructure is a central function and responsibility of the state government. Well-conceived infrastructure investments power economic development by generating jobs, stimulating economic activity, and increasing tax revenues. Maryland needs significant infrastructure improvements. The traffic that all Marylanders know too well soils the environment, affects the quality of life, and stunts the flow of commerce. Investing in new transportation infrastructure will create short term jobs through construction and long-term economic returns. Other forms of infrastructure improvements are needed as well. Water and sewer pipes break across the state on a daily basis. These infrastructure improvements are crucial, and making them will create good-paying jobs for the people of Maryland. Maryland’s state government needs to shift the way it thinks about economic development. Right now, we are stuck in a race to the bottom. We operate under the assumption that, if only we cut taxes as low as possible, and if only we eliminated all regulations, then businesses would flock to Maryland, and we would thrive. However, in that scenario, the state wouldn’t be able to provide any of the services upon which so many Marylanders rely. Further, the truth is that “poaching” – the practice of trying to lure businesses from other states – only accounts for about 2% of jobs in any one state. Instead, the state should focus on growing from within and investing in Maryland and its people. This new outlook includes the way in which the state handles financial incentives. Incentive proposals should not be handed out to big corporations without significant and adequate scrutiny. Would the economic activity have occurred without the incentive? What are the true costs of the incentive to the state? What else could the state do with the money? A renewed outlook on economic development will focus on growing Maryland businesses rather than partaking in the damaging race to the bottom. As we move deeper into the 21st century, Maryland must adjust to a changing economy. We can create a system that works for everyone, grow the middle class, and make Maryland a place of opportunity. To do so, we must use the resources the state has at its disposal in an efficient and effective way to support the true job creators in the state: the people. Agriculture Central to this investment will be protecting and growing Maryland’s agricultural industry. We should be proud of the hard work that Maryland farmers, watermen, and entrepreneurs of all stripes do every day. We are leaders in crab harvesting, poultry farming, horse breeding, wine-making, and more. As Governor, I will be an advocate for these and other important industries. Family farms in particular from all over the state deserve our support. If these small business owners want to put money into their land, Annapolis should be in their corner. Younger Marylanders who want to start their own farms – especially ones who are willing to commit to sustainable agricultural practices– need access to financial and technical support as they get their businesses off the ground. But our rural communities are far more than just economic engines: they are cornerstones of vibrant historic communities from every corner of Maryland, and, with the right people and policies, they can be the backbone of its future. With the right investments in improved broadband internet access, rural hospitals and telehealth innovations, transportation infrastructure, and treatment for opioid addiction, we can equip every town in this state with the tools necessary to succeed in the new economy. Many skeptics say we can’t foster growth in our agricultural communities and protect our precious natural resources. I believe that is a false trade-off. We can encourage growth in the agricultural sector without compromising our commitment to protecting the environment. Farmers are our partners in conservation. They have a vested interest in the quality of the soil, water, and air in our state. Environmental laws protect the farmers and businesses that do it the right way. These businesses need protection from competitors who are willing to cut corners to make a profit. In industries that do cause environmental degradation, we will work with and reward innovators who are willing to make the leap to more sustainable practices. Plenty of renewable energy sources, including wind power, can be put to work on rural land. The Chesapeake Bay is one of our greatest treasures, and we must work cooperatively so that Marylanders for generations to come can enjoy this marvel. Oyster beds in the Chesapeake Bay, which are down to a fraction of their historic population levels, serve as storm surge protectors and natural water filters. When done right, managed harvest of these beds boosts oyster populations while providing livelihoods for their farmers. We also must make sure our agricultural industries work for everyone involved. Farmworkers are some of the most vulnerable laborers in our economy, and as Governor, I will be their partner. They have the same right to a living wage and a healthy workplace that other workers have, even as they disproportionately face discrimination, sexual harassment, and unsafe work environments. I pledge to make sure that agricultural workers of all backgrounds go to work every day with the peace of mind that comes with knowing their state government is in their corner. When I am Governor, Maryland’s rural communities will receive the meaningful, holistic attention they deserve. I will bring together leaders in Annapolis, the private sector, and all 24 jurisdictions to make sure that these hallmarks of our heritage have a place in our 21st century economy, and that our agricultural industry remains a source of pride and prosperity for decades to come. Environment Maryland has almost 8,000 miles of shoreline and at least 22 communities that are predicted to face chronic inundation by 2035. We cannot wait; this is an issue that we must address immediately. Protecting Maryland’s environment is, in many ways, a life and death issue. Clean air and clean water are fundamental rights, and we have both a moral and an economic imperative to protect our environment. As Governor, that is what I will do. Pollution in our air and water – often times coming from outside of Maryland – threatens the health of our citizens for generations to come. It is critical that the federal government has strong protections in place and that the federal government works with other countries to reduce pollution and emissions. Unfortunately, protecting the environment is not a priority for President Trump. The president made the incomprehensible decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord, and the EPA’s Clean Power plan is facing repeal. President Trump also has proposed in his budgets to zero-out funding for the Chesapeake Bay restoration. He has decided to allow offshore drilling along Maryland’s coastlines, he is continually working to repeal environmental protections, and he is leading a war on climate science. Governor Hogan has not stood up against President Trump’s backwards and harmful environmental policies, and he has rolled back protections in Maryland. He has limited the resources that are available to environmental inspectors, and the prosecution of environmental crimes is at a 20-year low. He has tried to eliminate the protections for Maryland oyster sanctuaries that have helped to rebuild and stabilize the population. And, his transportation plans focus on putting as many cars on the road as possible, which will significantly harm Maryland’s environment. Creating an environmentally friendly economy presents significant economic opportunity. Expanding investments in Maryland’s renewable energy industry and upgrading the state’s infrastructure will create good paying jobs across the state and position Maryland to compete economically for decades and centuries to come. The constant battle between growing the economy and protecting the environment is a false trade-off. We can encourage economic growth, especially in our agriculture sector, without compromising our commitment to protecting the environment. Environmental protections create a fair playing field and support the businesses that are not willing to cut corners to make a quick profit. I will work to ensure that the Department of the Environment and the Attorney General’s Office have the resources they need for inspection and enforcement. In industries that do affect the environment, we will work with businesses and reward innovation that moves towards more sustainable practices. Shifting Maryland’s energy consumption to renewables is both a method for economic growth and environmental preservation. By 2030, at least 50 percent of our energy consumption should come from renewable source. By 2050, that number should be 100%. In order to reach these goals, however, Maryland must support the construction of new renewable energy production, including offshore wind projects. As part of a larger focus on vocational and apprenticeship programs, the state must augment career training opportunities for those who will move into the renewable energy sector. And, the state must provide incentives to businesses who are on the cutting edge of renewable energy production to bring the opportunities that come with renewable energy production, including more jobs and better wages, to the people of Maryland. Maryland must work to protect our natural spaces, like the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and the mountains of Western Maryland so that future generations can enjoy these wonders and so that Maryland can continue to benefit economically from tourism revenue. We must strike the proper balance between development, land preservation, and agricultural usage. Expanding access to open spaces and forest preservation should be priorities. We must protect our clean waterways, especially the Chesapeake Bay, to support our watermen and the fishing industry. Preserving Maryland’s environment is both a social and an economic imperative. As Governor, I will strike the proper balance of protecting our environment and driving long-term economic growth so that future generations can enjoy Maryland’s natural wonders. Immigration As far as I’m concerned, the current dialogue coming from some Republicans, and certainly Donald Trump, is rooted in hate. The message may be covered in half-baked economic populism, but at its core, it is based purely on race. In Maryland, we must, with a unified voice, stand up and say that this hate-filled message is not ours. Accepting and promoting diversity is the right thing to do, but immigration is also crucial to developing a robust economy as we move into the 21st century. Immigrants are creating the businesses of the future that will provide jobs for decades to come. They are bringing diverse perspectives and new ideas that will help move us forward. We want them to come to Maryland, and we want them to feel welcome here. Forty percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants. And, in Maryland, 21 percent of business owners are immigrants and 26 percent of STEM graduates are foreign born. In April 2017, nearly 1,500 economists wrote an open letter to President Trump boasting of the economic power that robust immigration brings to the United States. As Governor, I will work to ensure that Maryland’s laws and priorities regarding immigrants’ rights are fair. On the national level, unlike Larry Hogan, I will use the position of Governor of Maryland and the microphone that comes with it to advocate on behalf of immigrant communities. As Chair of the Board of Regents for the University System of Maryland, I advocated for a law that granted in-state tuition to Dreamers and oversaw its implementation. I will take these priorities to the Governor’s Office. I proudly support DACA and the protections it has provided to so many families, and I will work to see it passed at the federal level. I do not believe that state and local police should be tasked with enforcing federal immigration laws. Our immigrant communities should feel comfortable going to local and state police with their problems, or to cooperate with an investigation. Having our local and state police serve as the federal government’s immigration enforcement corrodes the important trust between communities and the police. America is a nation of immigrants, and Maryland is a state of immigrants. As Governor, I will work hard to make sure that all Marylanders, particularly those who come to our state as immigrants, feel safe and welcome. Health Care The Affordable Care Act was President Obama’s signature achievement, and with good reason. In Maryland, the rate of uninsured has been cut in half and it now sits at an all-time low. That’s real progress. We must defend it against attacks in Congress and do what we can on the state level to strengthen it. For purely political reasons, Congressional Republicans’ top priority over the past seven years has been to repeal the Affordable Care Act. In fact, they’ve voted to repeal the ACA over 60 times since they took control of the House in 2010. Repealing the ACA would have a disastrous effect in Maryland. Over 550,000 Maryland citizens would lose their health care and premiums in the state would skyrocket, with low-income and elderly communities being hit the hardest. A repeal of the ACA would also be particularly damaging to Maryland’s one-of-a-kind all-payer waiver, which is worth an estimated $2-3 billion dollars per year. If the Republican Congress has proven one thing, it’s that, as long as they are in power, they are not going to stop the attempts to repeal the ACA. In the most recent tax bill, the Republican Congress and Donald Trump repealed the individual mandate – threatening the solvency of the ACA markets. Millions of Marylanders rightfully worry that the massive revenue cuts from the tax bill will be followed by cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. The Republicans’ priorities are clear – instead of working to fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program, they gave permanent tax cuts to the wealthy. States across the country will be on the front lines leading the resistance, and Maryland should be no different. The states will also have to work to implement new and innovative solutions to lower health care costs and expand access without the help of the federal government. That includes creating a contingency fund to ensure that children in Maryland have health care if the federal government does not fund CHIP. Maryland also must consider whether it needs its own individual mandate to replace the one Republicans removed in their Tax Bill. Throughout my career, I have worked with all interested parties in the health care system – doctors, insurers, hospitals, and patients. As Governor, I will convene those with a vested interest to find workable solutions that provide more quality and affordable health care to Marylanders. We will bolster and reward preventive care services that lower costs and create a healthier populace. We will work with schools, especially community schools, to ensure that children are being cared for and develop proper and healthy habits. In our state, innovation in the health care sector is happening every day. The greatest health care research and policy minds in the world reside here in Maryland. We can find solutions, and we will. As Governor, I will not be satisfied until every single citizen in Maryland has access to quality and affordable care. Public Safety Since 2015, coincident with Governor Hogan’s tenure, violent crime in Maryland has skyrocketed. Baltimore has suffered from a record number of murders in each of the past three years. Instead of acting constructively to stop the carnage, Governor Hogan has removed crime fighting assets and canceled projects like the Red Line that would have brought relief to poverty and unemployment – the root causes of the violence. His recent reinstitution of efforts of his predecessors, which he retracted in the first place, is no substitute for action and commitment. As Governor, I will bring a results-oriented perspective to our public safety strategy. First, we must stop the violence. I will work with the Maryland Attorney General to harness the newly passed Maryland RICO statute to dismantle violent criminal organizations across the state whether they be in Baltimore, the Washington D.C. suburbs, or Eastern and Western Maryland. I will mobilize state agencies to work with local and federal agencies in a joint effort to target the criminal organizations that are the engines of violence in our state and to remove from the streets the guns that kill and maim thousands of our citizens every year. I will make it a felony to possess a gun illegally. I will ensure that Maryland law enforcement has the latest technology at their disposal to fight crime effectively, the right way, with the support of their communities. We must also restore community trust in law enforcement. Police play a critical role in a democratic society and their effective service and partnership with the citizens they serve is essential for our safety, security, and prosperity. For too long, our political leaders have employed strategies that have alienated the police from large segments of our citizens rather than targeting the small segment of the population responsible for the majority of violent crime. Mass incarceration has drained our communities. I will support the city of Baltimore and the U.S. Department of Justice in implementing the consent decree. Moreover, I will work to ensure we are deploying the best practices for policing and holding police accountable for misconduct in Baltimore and across the state. I will reinvest in parole and probation and re-entry programs that have languished with insufficient funding and planning in the Hogan administration. Fully one third of those convicted of violent crimes in Baltimore City have been under state supervision on parole or probation. The state government must work cohesively with local police to target the criminals who are wreaking havoc on the streets. The parole and probation systems are major tools that law enforcement can use to target these individuals. I will also direct the state law enforcement agencies, including the Maryland State Police and the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, to work cooperatively with the local jurisdictions to find ways to maximize each agency’s effectiveness and efficiency. Finally, I will address the root causes of crime and violence in our state. My plans to invest in education and transportation will spur economic development and address the root causes of crime to expand opportunity and end the school to prison pipeline. I will make sure the state government does its part to intervene with troubled youths through the Department of Juvenile Services. I will make sure to properly fund programs like ROCA and Safe Streets, which interact with troubled youths and ex-offenders, and collaborate with experts to bring similar programs that have been successful elsewhere in the country to Maryland. And I will attack drug addiction as a heath issue and deflate the demand for drugs that drives violent organized crime. Maryland has a public safety crisis. As governor, I will stop the violence in the short term and invest in education and transportation systems that will drive economic development that, in the long term, address the root causes of crime and violence that have too long plagued our state. Opioids During his campaign for Governor, Larry Hogan promised to make combating the heroin epidemic a priority. But he did not follow those words with adequate action. The steps he has taken have been tepid and delayed. It took him until last year to declare a state of emergency. He has not provided the state with a well-funded or comprehensive plan to attack the issue. Most importantly, we need to establish treatment programs throughout the state. We must expand our outreach efforts to the most vulnerable parts of our population to bring access to treatment to those who don’t have the resources or ability to get to rehabilitation centers. We must ensure that all emergency personnel are trained and provided with the latest overdose treatments, including increasing the availability of naloxone. Opioid addiction is a complicated problem with multiple root causes. We need to reconsider how pharmaceutical companies market opioids to doctors. We need to reconsider how doctors prescribe opioids to our citizens. We need to train our emergency healthcare personnel on the latest in overdose treatment and fund programs to increase the availability of the lifesaving drug naloxone. The opioid epidemic is a public health issue, not a criminal justice issue. An appointment in rehab, not a jail cell, is the way to cure addiction. At the same time, we need to focus our law enforcement efforts on the violent gangs that are flooding our street with heroin, the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, and diverted prescription drugs. Maryland needs to combat the opioid epidemic. I will commit to attacking this problem, and unlike Governor Hogan I will follow through with action. As Governor, I will bring an integrated and comprehensive plan to aiding our fellow citizens.[11] |
” |
| —Jim Shea for Maryland[17] | ||
Krishanti Vignarajah
| “ |
Improving Education from Cradle to Career Fixing Maryland's Public Schools As Governor, I will not short-change our kids or ask teachers to use their own hard-earned money to plug funding gaps. I am fully committed to implementing the recommendations of the Kirwan Commission and making sizable investments in public education that ensure a world-class public education is available to all Maryland students. To do this, we need to do six things: We must secure outside funding for investments like Pre-K that can pay for themselves ($19 in near-term savings per $1 invested; $38 savings in the long-term) by monetizing the long-term savings and using the future savings to repay social bonds, etc. We must earmark the amount of lottery and casino revenue that goes toward education and restore the promises made that gambling would increase overall education spending, rather than allowing cuts to base funding. We must reallocate resources within the existing budget by funding drug treatment which is ten times cheaper than incarceration and ending the money bail system both of which would free up resources to increase funding for education. We must generate new revenues from private sector jobs growth. We must raise revenues by increasing taxes on things that we want less of like vices/pollution and modernizing our tax code. We must renovate our schools to make them safer, healthier, and more energy/water efficient—and the operational cost-savings should be directed back into school construction and educational programs. Guaranteeing Universal, High-Quality, Pre-Kindergarten As Governor, I will guarantee that all Maryland four-year olds have access to universal, high-quality early education that will allow them to enter kindergarten ready to learn, read and grow. Our universal pre-K program will provide funding to local school districts to increase access at public elementary schools. As Governor, I will also ensure increased funding for Maryland cities, communities, and community-based organizations to help these local groups provide greater access to high-quality pre-K all across the state. This is a promise I’ll gladly make to every working parent who wants her child to start off on the right foot, and to every Maryland child, regardless of where they live. Providing Free Access to Healthy Breakfast and Lunch Expanding 21st Century STEAM Education in Maryland Ensuring Free Community College & Job Training My administration will work with the General Assembly to establish a state-wide “promise program” that will provide funding for tuition and fees to all students in public, two-year institutions across the state. Second, my administration will ensure that community colleges get the fiscal support they need from the state, since they rely more heavily on state tax dollars than traditional, four year colleges and universities. Finally, I want to make sure that community college students with jobs are able to continue their studies without breaking the bank or sacrificing their employment. To do this, we will establish a state micro-grant program to support two-year students’ transportation expenses. A little extra to simply get from home to college to work and back, all in time to help with dinner or spend time family, makes a challenging schedule just a little bit easier. This small transportation stipend would match any pre-existing federal work-study funds that Maryland community college students currently receive, making it truly possible to receive a quality higher education, while supporting yourself and your family. Community colleges should offer educational opportunities for every Maryland high schooler and provide an affordable stepping stone to all career paths. As governor, I’m prepared to make educational opportunities a reality with better state policy and funding commitments. Supporting Working Families I’m a new mom, and this issue is a top priority. My administration will work with the General Assembly to ensure three months of paid family leave for every parent in our state — because no one should have to choose between caring for their child and putting food on the table. This policy will make our workers more productive, our state more attractive to live in, and our economy more efficient and equitable. Paid family leave policy often attracts broad-bipartisan support, and rightfully so: there is little controversial about a healthier work-life balance or a more equitable, inclusive, and efficient economy. Guaranteeing paid family leave ensures all parents can afford to take time off work to care for a newborn baby. But paid leave is about more than just childcare — this promise means every Maryland resident has the support they need to care for a sick family member, an aging parent, or a newborn child. Guaranteeing 3 months of paid leave in our state eliminates the choice between caring for a loved one and stable employment: the kind of impossible decision that too many Marylanders already make every day. Paid family leave also: Improves employee loyalty and productivity, which increases businesses’ overall capacity and substantially cuts recruiting costs. Reduces post-neonatal mortality for women. Encourages a closer bond between fathers and their children. Significantly decreases the gender wage gap. Builds stronger family ties, and a more balanced work lifestyle. We believe that every family should have access to paid family leave, regardless of income, employment, or zip code, and as governor, I will work with the private sector to ensure individuals on leave receive up to 70% their weekly income. Qualifying Marylanders include anyone with a sick member of their immediate family (parent, child, spouse or sibling), a newborn baby or a newly adopted child, or a serious personal illness. Guaranteeing high quality, afford healthcare My administration will work with the General Assembly to develop and implement a state-run public option that would offer affordable healthcare coverage to each and every Maryland resident. A public option is a government-run insurance plan available over the Affordable Care Act exchanges that would compete against private insurers – driving down the overall cost of health insurance, particularly in areas with just one or two private insurance options. This solution allows Maryland to achieve our universal coverage and affordability goals without raising taxes or recklessly dismantling our current healthcare infrastructure. We need to make immediate improvements to the coverage, quality, and cost of Maryland’s healthcare for all its residents – regardless of their income or zip code. As governor, I’ll be focused on improving outcomes for patients, and to do so, I’ve called for the following: Expand Maryland’s all-payer rate-setting system, which improves patient outcomes and lowers overall costs, beyond just hospitals Reinvest in preventative public health programs through innovation grants to city and county health departments Employ targeted enrollment incentives to encourage uninsured Marylanders to sign up for the public option on the ACA exchange Improve healthcare access and coordination in Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore by expanding grants to community health workers, school-based health centers, mobile integrated heath units, and other non-traditional providers and improving access to public transportation. Enhance senior care and end of life care, so seniors are not forced to choose between receiving high quality health services and remaining in their homes. Develop new efforts to improve maternity care in hospitals and ensure that maternal health considerations are part of statewide programs that focus on preventative healthcare, healthy lifestyle promotion, and management of pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes and obesity, which make childbirth more dangerous for women. Improving Gender Equity Working alongside two of the toughest, brightest, and most capable women of our time, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, I learned firsthand that the best way to address these challenges is to have more women in leadership positions. So as the first female Governor, I am committed to giving Marylanders a cabinet that looks like Maryland. I will end the wage gap in state government and push businesses to do the same. We cannot allow prejudice and implicit bias to prevent good decision-making. My administration will be the first in Maryland to achieve gender parity at the highest levels of state government. Making Maryland the Most Immigrant-Friendly State in America My administration will be fully committed to protecting the values we hold dearest: values of tolerance, diversity, and strength in difference. We will fight to ensure that immigrants and their families remain protected and welcomed in Maryland. We will employ our state’s full constitutional rights to resist federal immigration enforcement efforts and prohibit any state resources from being used to support ICE and CBP attempts to deport non-violent Maryland residents. In addition to opposing federal attacks on immigrants, my administration will ensure all Marylanders have equal access to schools, kindergarten, health care, and good jobs, and ensure that our communities remain strong in their diversity and that everyone gets an equal voice, regardless of where you come from. We will support educational opportunities for immigrants, including more opportunities online and at local community colleges. We also will work with employers to encourage the hiring of immigrants and ensure immigrants have access to necessary services and forms of identification. Reducing Gun Violence Confronting the Opioid Epidemic Candidates in both parties like to demand the state must hold drug companies, doctors, and pharmacists accountable. And of course we should; but if we’re going to get any closer to really addressing the underlying causes of the addiction crisis, we need more than a popular political one-liner as a solution. If elected Governor, I want to fight all forms of addiction. To do this, we need to approach this issue from three angles: long-term prevention, immediate lifesaving action, and treatment access. Expanding treatment access means ensuring every town and municipality, no matter how small, has temporary addiction treatment clinics run by the State of Maryland. To do this, we need to integrate the Maryland Department of Health with other state-run services to coordinate “whole-person” care for those struggling with any kind of addiction. Healthcare is significantly impacted by environment – non-medical factors account for 60-80% of a person’s health outcomes. Realigning our state agencies data, eligibility, and approach to service could both expand access and significantly reduce the cost of this and future interventions to taxpayers. Immediate lifesaving action means expanding access to naloxone, the overdose reversal agent. Every home in Western Maryland should have a free dose of this lifesaving drug at the ready. Immediate action further means expanding the Overdose Survivor Outreach Program (OSOP) to every single medical facility in the state. This program intervenes after a patient arrives at the emergency room during or immediately following a drug overdose. Through this program, medical staff can immediately ensure thousands of the people already struggling with addiction go directly into treatment, rather than back out into their community. Strategies for long-term prevention must address what some economists describe as “deaths of despair.” Deaths from drug overdose, suicide, and alcohol remain highest in rural communities and amongst people without a college degree. To attack this fundamental inequity, we need to make education and economic opportunity available from cradle to career – restoring both access and dignity to work and investing in our state’s educational infrastructure. Conserving Maryland's Natural Resources Leading on Climate & Clean Energy My administration will make Maryland the national leader (and an international leader) in climate action by cutting overall greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by the end of my second term; deploying more than 2,500 MW of clean energy by 2026 (as part of a larger 100% clean energy goal); reducing per capita energy demand by 25% through energy conservation/ efficiency measures; leading the nation deployment of electric vehicles with 500,000 on the road by 2026 (twice projected amount); making record investments in advanced transportation solutions, including mass transit, electrified bus rapid transit, and bikeways. We can no longer afford to wait—we must lead and make the necessary investments. I intend to leverage my experience in the private sector and at the highest levels of government to enact the most aggressive environmental agenda in Maryland history. These actions will dramatically improve our air quality, revolutionize our energy sector, and create tens of thousands of well-paying jobs. By generating more clean energy in-state, especially from offshore wind and solar, and becoming the national leader in energy efficiency, we will dramatically reduce the impact of dirty-coal generated electricity from upwind states that pollutes our air, makes our kids sick, and increases our healthcare bills. Making Maryland More Resilient Restoring the Chesapeake Bay and its Tributaries Expanding the Outdoor Economy Saving Maryland's Wildlife Growing Maryland's Economy My administration will create 250,000 well-paying jobs for the future—employment that won’t be outsourced or automated. To accomplish this, we need to grow Maryland’s innovation economy, encourage tech transfer from major research hubs, ensure the resources to start a business are available in every corner of the state, link employers with skilled workers, and ensure 21st century infrastructure. Supporting Small Businesses Reducing Traffic Providing Universal Broadband Access |
” |
| —Krish for Maryland[18] | ||
Endorsements
| Democratic candidate endorsements | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement | Date | Baker | Jealous | Madaleno | Kamenetz* |
| Federal officials | |||||
| Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.)[19] | June 14, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.)[20] | April 24, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.)[21] | March 27, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.)[22] | March 23, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.)[23] | March 2, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)[24] | November 2, 2017 | ✔ | |||
| Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)[25] | October 17, 2017 | ✔ | |||
| Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)[26] | July 13, 2017 | ✔ | |||
| National figures | |||||
| Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D)[27] | September 18, 2017 | ✔ | |||
| State figures | |||||
| Former Montgomery County councilwoman and gubernatorial candidate Valerie Ervin (D)[28] | June 12, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Former Gov. Martin O'Malley (D)[29] | June 7, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Former Gov. Parris Glendening (D)[30] | April 19, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Former Attorney General Doug Gansler (D)[31] | March 19, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Attorney General Brian Frosh[32] | December 6, 2017 | ✔ | |||
| Local figures | |||||
| Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett (D)[33] | January 23, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Organizations | |||||
| The Baltimore Sun[34] | June 13, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| The Washington Post[35] | May 19, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Maryland State Education Association[36] | April 14, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Baltimore Washington Laborers' District Council[37] | March 8, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| 350 Action[38] | March 8, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Lower Shore Progressives[39] | February 3, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| People's Action[40] | January 26, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| CASA in Action[41] | January 26, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| UNITE HERE![42] | December 21, 2017 | ✔ | |||
| Progressive Maryland[43] | December 13, 2017 | ✔ | |||
| Communications Workers of America[43] | December 13, 2017 | ✔ | |||
| Victory Fund[44] | November 14, 2017 | ✔ | |||
| Service Employees International Union[45] | October 12, 2017 | ✔ | |||
| National Nurses United[46] | October 7, 2017 | ✔ | |||
| Friends of the Earth Action[47] | September 12, 2017 | ✔ | |||
| Maryland Working Families Party[48] | August 11, 2017 | ✔ | |||
| *Kamenetz died on May 10, 2018. | |||||
Debates and forums
February 2 candidate forum
On February 2, 2018, seven of the eight then-declared Democratic candidates for governor appeared at a candidate forum at Goucher College. Ben Jealous, Ralph Jaffe, Kevin Kamenetz, Rich Madaleno, Alec Ross, Jim Shea, and Krishanti Vignarajah were each asked a single question and given the opportunity to respond to up to two questions asked of an opponent. The final then-declared candidate, Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker III (D), was unable to attend due to a budget meeting.[49]
- Jealous argued that a proposal he had authored that would provide tuition for university students had received more scrutiny than proposals related to increased enforcement of drug laws: "When it comes to educating our kids, they always ask the price. When it comes to locking them up, they never ask the price."
- Jaffe highlighted his campaign's refusal to accept contributions and said that he was part of a movement against career politicians.
- Kamenetz expressed his support for universal pre-kindergarten and said that if elected he would "be the advocate for education that all Maryland schools need."
- Madaleno criticized the tenure of sitting Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and argued that "it is time for us to bring a sense of direction and hope back to the state of Maryland."
- Ross referred to his past experience teaching in West Baltimore and argued that "talent exists in every ZIP code in our country, but the opportunity doesn’t."
- Shea argued in favor of expanding access to loan forgiveness programs for recent graduates working in public service.
- Vignarajah referred to her experience as a daughter of Sri Lankan immigrants who has worked in the White House: "In no country in this world, maybe no other state in this country, is that opportunity, that type of trajectory, possible."
December 14 candidate forum
On December 14, 2017, eight of the then-declared Democratic candidates for governor appeared at a candidate forum in Montgomery County. Rushern Baker III, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, Ben Jealous, Kevin Kamenetz, Rich Madaleno, Alec Ross, Jim Shea, and Krishanti Vignarajah spent little time criticizing each others' records or disagreeing on policy, instead focusing their attention on sitting Gov. Larry Hogan (R). Criticism of the governor was focused on education and infrastructure, leading the Washington Post to suggest that "the forum offered an early glimpse at the subjects that will shape the race." On infrastructure, the candidates were critical of Hogan's policies in his first term, which they contended had put too much emphasis on highways at the expense of proposed light rail systems in Baltimore and the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. In particular, this criticism focused on a recent proposal put forward by the governor in which private companies would construct express lanes on the state's highways in return for the right to collect tolls from those lanes. On education, the candidates called for the governor to increase the amount of revenue allocated to the state's school construction fund.[50]
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
A poll released on October 4, 2017, by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy showed Rushern Baker III with a lead in the Democratic primary outside the margin of error. Baker was followed by Kevin Kamenetz and Ben Jealous, with the other candidates in the race supported by three percent or less of voters polled. Forty-six percent of voters remained undecided.[51]
| Maryland governor's race (Democratic primary) | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Rushern Baker | Kevin Kamenetz | Ben Jealous | Rich Madaleno | Krishanti Vignarajah | Alec Ross | Maya Rockeymoore Cummings | Jim Shea | Ralph Jaffe | Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||
| Gonzales Research & Media Services (June 4-10, 2018) | 25% | 7% | 23% | 9% | 5% | 2% | 0% | 6% | 1% | 22% | +/-4.5 | 505 | |||||||
| Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy (February 20-24, 2018) | 26% | 15% | 14% | 4% | 3% | 2% | 0% | 3% | 1% | 32% | +/-4.5 | 500 | |||||||
| Goucher College (February 12-18, 2018) | 19% | 12% | 10% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 0% | 2% | 1% | 48% | +/-4.8 | 409 | |||||||
| Gonzales Research and Media Services (December 27, 2017 - January 5, 2018) | 24.0% | 14.2% | 13.8% | 4.8% | 1.6% | 1.4% | 5.8% | 1.0% | 0.4% | 33.1% | +/-4.5 | 501 | |||||||
| Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy (September 27-30, 2017) | 28% | 11% | 10% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 46% | +/-5.0 | 400 | |||||||
| AVERAGES | 24.4% | 11.84% | 14.16% | 4.56% | 2.52% | 1.88% | 1.16% | 2.4% | 0.68% | 36.22% | +/-4.66 | 463 | |||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Maryland governor's race (Democratic primary - no margin of error information provided) | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Rushern Baker III | Ben Jealous | Valerie Ervin | Richard Madaleno | Jim Shea | Krishanti Vignarajah | Alec Ross | Undecided/Other | Sample Size | ||||||||||
| The Baltimore Sun/University of Baltimore (May 29 - June 6, 2018) | 16% | 16% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 1% | 50% | 500 | ||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Campaign finance
The following campaign finance figures were obtained from June 15 campaign finance reports hosted on the Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System, which contains records of all contributions and expenditures made between November 12, 2014, and June 10, 2018.
- In addition to the figures reported below, Rushern Baker III had access to $275,000 in funds contributed by his running mate Elizabeth Embry to a joint account.
- Ben Jealous had access to $495,000 contributed by his running mate Susan Turnbull to a joint account.
- Alec Ross had access to $150,000 contributed by his running mate Julie Verratti to a joint account.
- Jim Shea had access to $250,000 contributed by his running mate Brandon Scott to a joint account.
- Krishanti Vignarajah had access to $13,500 contributed to a joint account.
- In lieu of submitting campaign finance reports for this period, the Jaffe and Jones campaigns submitted Affidavits of Limited Contributions and Expenditures affirming their intention to limit contributions and expenditures to $1,000 or less.
- The Madaleno campaign submitted an Affidavit of Limited Contributions and Expenditures for calendar year 2017, meaning that during that year the campaign raised and spent no more than $1,000. Because the specific amount raised by the campaign was not indicated in the report, campaign finance figures for the Madaleno campaign do not include figures for 2017. As of June 18, the Madaleno campaign had not yet filed its June 15 campaign finance report. Figures in the chart include only contributions and expenditures made before May 15. The figures do not include money raised by Madaleno and Luwanda Jenkins in their joint campaign account, which is registered with the state's public financing system.
Satellite spending
Maryland Together We Rise
Maryland Together We Rise was an independent expenditure that supported the candidacy of Ben Jealous (D).[52] The group spent $399,030 on television advertisements in support of Jealous' candidacy.[53]
Coalition get-out-the-vote campaign
A coalition of unions and progressive groups including the Working Families Party of Maryland, Progressive Maryland, and Our Revolution Maryland, launched a $500,000 direct mail and digital advertising campaign intended at spurring turnout in support of Ben Jealous (D) in June 2018. The effort targeted voters in Maryland's four largest counties and emphasized Jealous' stances on healthcare, the minimum wage, and university tuition.[54]
Friends of the Earth Action
Friends of the Earth Action was a political group associated with Friends of the Earth, which describes its goals as to "speak truth to power and expose those who endanger the health of people and the planet for corporate profit. We organize to build long-term political power and campaign to change the rules of our economic and political systems that create injustice and destroy nature."[55]
The group, which endorsed Ben Jealous (D) in September 2017, ran an advertisement praising Jealous' record on the environment in June 2018.[56]
Race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
| Race ratings: Maryland gubernatorial election, 2018 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| November 5, 2018 | October 30, 2018 | October 23, 2018 | October 16, 2018 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season. | |||||||||
Past elections
2014
In the 2014 Democratic primary, the ticket of Anthony Brown and Ken Ulman defeated the tickets of Douglas Gansler and Jolene Ivey, Heather Mizeur and Delman Coates, Cindy Walsh and Mary Elizabeth Wingate-Pennacchia, Charles Smith and Clarence Tucker, and Ralph Jaffe and Freda Jaffe by a 27.2 percent margin.[57]
| Governor of Maryland, Democratic Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
 Anthony Brown/Ken Ulman |
51.4% | 249,398 | ||
| Douglas Gansler/Jolene Ivey | 24.2% | 117,383 | ||
| Heather Mizeur/Delman Coates | 21.6% | 104,721 | ||
| Cindy Walsh/Mary Elizabeth Wingate-Pennacchia | 1.4% | 6,863 | ||
| Charles Smith/Clarence Tucker | 0.7% | 3,507 | ||
| Ralph Jaffe/Freda Jaffe | 0.7% | 3,221 | ||
| Total Votes | 485,093 | |||
| Election results via Maryland State Board of Elections. | ||||
Campaign tactics and strategies
Campaign advertisements
Rushern Baker III
Support
- "Baltimore TV Spot: Block by Block" - Baker campaign ad, released May 25, 2018
- "First TV Spot" - Baker campaign ad, released May 23, 2018
Ben Jealous
Support
|
|
|
|
Rich Madaleno
Support
|
Jim Shea
Support
|
Krishanti Vignarajah
Support
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Online presence
June 19, 2018
The following social media statistics were collected on June 19, 2018.
| Candidate | Followers | Likes | Comments on Last Ten Posts | Followers | Following | Tweets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker |
7,042 | 6,859 | 13 | 3,747 | 1,347 | 1,857 |
| Jealous |
20,774 | 20,326 | 216 | 89,864 | 10,443 | 10,099 |
Tweets by Rushern Baker Tweets by Ben Jealous
Noteworthy events
Ervin ballot access lawsuit
On May 29, 2018, gubernatorial candidate Valerie Ervin (D) filed a lawsuit against the state Board of Elections over the board's decision not to reprint gubernatorial ballots to include Ervin's name. Ervin, who had been Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz's (D) running mate prior to his death, joined the race in his place on May 17. On May 24, the board announced that due to the cost and the short period of time remaining until the primary, it would not print a new set of ballots with Ervin's name but would post signs informing voters of the change.[58]
On June 4, Maryland Fifth Circuit Judge William C. Mulford, II found in favor of the state Board, ruling against Ervin's proposed solutions of printing a second set of ballots or printing stickers to amend the existing ballots.[59] The Ervin campaign announced on June 7 that it would not appeal the ruling.[60]
Vignarajah eligibility lawsuit
On June 6, 2018, a lawsuit challenging Krishanti Vignarajah's (D) eligibility was filed in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court. Candidates for governor were required to have been registered voters in the state for the five years preceding an election. The lawsuit said that Vignarajah had not resided in the state for the required five years, citing votes she had cast in District of Columbia municipal elections in 2014 as well as an affirmation that she was a resident of the District in a 2016 application for a marriage license. The lawsuit said that the state Board of Elections had failed to confirm Vignarajah's eligibility and sought the printing of new ballots without Vignarajah's name.[61]
Judge Alison Asti dismissed the lawsuit, finding that Vignarajah's voter registration in Maryland had been valid for the five years preceding the election and clearing her to appear on the June 26 ballot.[62]
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
There are no Pivot Counties in Maryland. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Maryland with 60.3 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 33.9 percent. In presidential elections between 1789 and 2016, Maryland voted Democratic 52 percent of the time and Republican 21 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Maryland voted Democratic all five times.[63]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Maryland governor Democratic primary 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
|
Maryland government: |
Elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Mother Jones, "These 7 Primary Fights Will Shape the Future of the Democratic Party," January 10, 2018
- ↑ Ben Jealous for Governor, "Issues," accessed May 21, 2018
- ↑ Rushern Baker for Governor, "Record and Vision," accessed May 21, 2018
- ↑ Rushern Baker for Governor, "News," accessed May 21, 2018
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Democratic candidate for Maryland governor dies of cardiac arrest at 60," May 10, 2018
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Valerie Ervin drops out of Md. governor’s race, will endorse Rushern Baker," June 12, 2018
- ↑ Morning Consult, "America’s Most and Least Popular Governors," April 12, 2018
- ↑ Ratings are based on projections found in Governing, Larry Sabato, The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, Decision Desk HQ, and The Cook Political Report. These ratings are updated periodically throughout the election season.
- ↑ All about Redistricting, "Who draws the lines?" accessed January 24, 2018
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Maryland Gov. Hogan makes his re-election effort official," February 22, 2018
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Friends of Rushern Baker III, "Rushern's Record and Vision," accessed March 18, 2018
- ↑ Ben Jealous for Governor, "Issues," accessed March 18, 2018
- ↑ Kevin Kamenetz for Governor, "Real Results for All Marylanders," accessed March 18, 2018
- ↑ Madaleno for Maryland, "Maryland Issues," accessed March 18, 2018
- ↑ Alec Ross for Governor, "Alec's Ideas," accessed March 18, 2018
- ↑ Jim Shea for Maryland, "Issues," accessed March 18, 2018
- ↑ Krish for Maryland, "Issues," accessed March 18, 2018
- ↑ The Seventh State, "DELANEY ENDORSES BAKER," June 14, 2018
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Maryland Congressman Ruppersberger endorses Kevin Kamenetz for governor," April 24, 2018
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Steny Hoyer backs Rushern Baker in Maryland governor’s race," March 27, 2018
- ↑ The Washington Free Beacon, "Kamala Harris Endorses Former NAACP President in Race for Maryland Governor," March 23, 2018
- ↑ Bethesda Magazine, "Raskin Endorses Madaleno in Governor’s Race," March 2, 2018
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Van Hollen to endorse Baker in Maryland governor’s race," November 2, 2017
- ↑ Ben Jealous for Governor, "Senator Cory Booker Endorses Ben Jealous For Governor Of Maryland," October 17, 2017
- ↑ The Atlantic, "Can a Bernie Sanders Ally Win the Maryland Governor's Mansion?," July 13, 2017
- ↑ Ben Jealous for Governor, "Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, Endorses Ben Jealous for Governor," September 18, 2017
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Valerie Ervin drops out of Md. governor’s race, will endorse Rushern Baker," June 12, 2018
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Martin O'Malley endorses Rushern Baker in Democratic race for Maryland governor," June 7, 2018
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Former governor Parris Glendening backs Rushern Baker in Maryland governor race," April 19, 2018
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Md. gubernatorial candidate Madaleno wins Gansler endorsement," March 19, 2018
- ↑ Baltimore Sun, "Attorney General Brian Frosh backs Rushern Baker in Democratic governor's race," December 6, 2017
- ↑ Bethesda Magazine, "Leggett Endorses Baker for Governor," January 23, 2018
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Ben Jealous for Governor," June 13, 2018
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Democrats should choose Rushern Baker for Maryland governor," May 19, 2018
- ↑ WTOP, "Maryland’s largest teacher’s union endorses Jealous for governor," April 16, 2018
- ↑ LiUNA Mid-Atlantic, "Madaleno Receives Baltimore/Washington Laborers' Endorsement," March 8, 2018
- ↑ 350 Action, "350 Action’s First Endorsements of 2018: Deb Haaland and Ben Jealous," March 8, 2018
- ↑ Ben Jealous for Governor, "Lower Shore Progressive Caucus Endorses Ben Jealous for Governor," February 3, 2018
- ↑ Ben Jealous for Governor, "People’s Action Endorses Ben Jealous for Governor," January 26, 2018
- ↑ Ben Jealous for Governor, "CASA in Action endorses Ben Jealous for Governor of Maryland," January 26, 2018
- ↑ Ben Jealous for Governor, "UNITE HERE! endorses Ben Jealous for Governor of Maryland," December 21, 2017
- ↑ 43.0 43.1 Ben Jealous for Governor, "Progressive Maryland and Communications Workers of America endorse Ben Jealous for Governor of Maryland," December 13, 2017
- ↑ Victory Fund, "Victory Fund Endorses State Senator Rich Madaleno in Maryland Governor’s Race," November 14, 2017
- ↑ Ben Jealous for Governor, "SEIU Gives Ben Jealous Early, Enthusiastic Endorsement in Maryland Governor’s Race," October 12, 2017
- ↑ Ben Jealous for Governor, "Ben Jealous Receives Endorsement from National Nurses United, Discusses How A Medicare For All System Could Work In Maryland," October 7, 2017
- ↑ Ben Jealous for Governor, "Friends of the Earth Action Endorses Ben Jealous for Governor," September 12, 2017
- ↑ Ben Jealous for Governor, "Maryland Working Families Endorses Ben Jealous for Governor of Maryland," August 11, 2017
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Maryland's Democratic hopefuls for governor try to appeal to college voters at Goucher forum," February 2, 2018
- ↑ Washington Post, "Democratic candidates for Md. governor urge more spending on schools, transit," December 14, 2017
- ↑ Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, "Mason-Dixon Maryland Poll," October 4, 2017
- ↑ Maryland Together We Rise, "About," accessed June 12, 2018
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Ben Jealous supporters spending nearly $1 million in Democratic race for Maryland governor," June 11, 2018
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Progressive, labor groups spending half million dollars for Ben Jealous," June 8, 2018
- ↑ Friends of the Earth, "About Us," accessed June 15, 2018
- ↑ Friends of the Earth Action, "Friends of the Earth Action airs TV ads in support of Ben Jealous," June 14, 2018
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Governor / Lt. Governor," July 16, 2014
- ↑ WTOP, "Md. gubernatorial candidate Valerie Ervin files suit in primary ballot battle," May 29, 2018
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Judge declines to order reprint of Maryland ballots to include Democrat Valerie Ervin's name," June 4, 2018
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Maryland candidate for governor Valerie Ervin not appealing ballot ruling," June 7, 2018
- ↑ Bethesda Magazine, "Lawsuit Filed Against Vignarajah Over Eligibility To Run For Governor," June 11, 2018
- ↑ Colombo Gazette, "US court clears Sri Lankan born candidate to run for Governor," June 13, 2018
- ↑ 270towin.com, "Maryland," accessed June 22, 2017
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