NONPARTISAN CANDIDATE GUIDE: 2018 MARYLAND’S GOVERNOR’S RACE
Created by the Campus Election Engagement Project, a nonpartisan effort to help college and university administrators, faculty, and student leaders engage their schools in the election. Key sites consulted included Votesmart.org, OntheIssues.org, FactCheck.org, Politifact.com, and public candidate statements. For guides to local races, see Vote411.org from the League of Women Voters and Ballotready.org. For more detailed information visit their votesmart.org pages.
Visit Larry Hogan.com and Ben Jealous.com to volunteer. Other candidates include Ian Schlakman (G) & Shawn Quinn (L). Due to lack of space, we cannot include candidates polling less than 15%, but encourage you to check out their websites. To download a printable pdf version of this guide, click here.
Abortion: Mostly ban or mostly legal?
Hogan – Legal. Personally opposes abortion, but declares the subject settled & will not try to change Maryland’s laws protecting woman’s rights.
Jealous – Legal. “If we increase barriers to abortion & family planning services, women will see their health compromised, & all of our families will suffer.”
Campaign Finance: Support Citizens United decision, allowing unlimited political donations from corporations and unions?
Hogan – Unclear. Hogan was elected under a public financing system & pushed bill to strengthen.
Jealous – No. Opposes “dual attack on our democracy – everyday voters are being disenfranchised while corporations are being hyper-enfranchised.” Co-founded national coalition of unions, civil rights groups & environmental groups working to roll back money in politics.
Climate Change: Consider climate change a serious threat? Limit or tax production of greenhouse gasses?
Hogan – Considers a threat. More mixed on regulations. Signed The Maryland Commission on Climate Change. Has signed bills to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Vetoed increasing required percentage of renewables for utilities to buy, saying costs too high.
Jealous – Yes. “Protecting our planet is not just a moral imperative, it is an economic opportunity that Maryland can take to propel our state forward.” Climate Justice Program was first program launched when NAACP president.
Contraception: Employers can withhold contraceptive coverage if they disagree?
Hogan – No. Signed expansive birth control insurance bill.
Jealous – No. Criticizes Hogan for leaving out state employees in bill expanding insurance contraception coverage.
Education: Increase funding for K-12 education?
Hogan – No. Create more efficiency with current revenue streams, allow choice programs like vouchers.
Jealous – Yes. “Raise teacher pay by 29%, fund full-day universal Pre-K.” Fund this by taxing legal marijuana.
Criminal Justice: Felon voting rights rules & how to address prison population.
Hogan – Supported Justice Reinvestment Act to reduce incarceration for nonviolent criminals. Recently proposed harsher sentencing requirements.
Education: Provide vouchers to parents to send their children to private schools with public money?
Hogan – Yes. Increased scholarship funding for low-income students attending non-public school of their choice.
Jealous – No. Criticized proposals vouchers proposals. Would instead increase funding for public schools.
Education: Address college costs?
Hogan – Expanded scholarship program to help cover community college tuition. Has limited tuition increases to 2%.
Jealous – Make community college free & 4-year public institutions debt-free for Marylanders. Establish refinancing program for existing loans.
Elections: Support nonpartisan redistricting to address charges of partisan gerrymandering?
Hogan – Yes. Introduced Redistricting Reform Act to create a nonpartisan redistricting commission.
Jealous – Yes. Founded two organizations to require federal nonpartisan redistricting.
Gay Marriage: Support gay marriage?
Hogan – Yes. “The voters have made their decision. I will support their decision & uphold the law.”
Jealous – Yes. As NAACP president, pushed for a resolution supporting same-sex marriage.
Gun Control: Support more restrictive gun control legislation? Restrict semi-automatic weapons?
Hogan – Yes. Signed measure to ban bump stocks, supports universal background checks & keeping guns from mentally ill & those with “criminal backgrounds.”
Jealous – Yes. Supports universal background checks, an interstate compact on gun control, & creating gun courts to combat gun violence.
Healthcare: Support or Repeal ACA, aka Obamacare?
Hogan – Support, but didn’t publicly oppose repeal efforts. “The Affordable Care Act needs to be fixed… Keep what works, improve the parts that do not.”
Jealous – Support. Great progress has been made with ACA, “but there is more to be done.” Build on All Payer program to move toward Medicare for All.
Healthcare: Let Planned Parenthood receive public funds for non-abortion health care?
Hogan – Unclear. Allowed bill to protect Planned Parenthood health services to go into law without his signature.
Jealous – Yes. Supports Planned Parenthood. Include women’s health services as part of Medicare for All.
Labor: Support bill requiring 5 days of paid sick leave from companies with 15 or more workers?
Hogan – No. Prefers incentives rather than requirements. Law passed over his veto.
Jealous – Yes. Our economy works best when we invest in our people. And that starts with investing in their health.
Immigration: Support DREAM Act (DACA), allowing “Dreamers” who arrived illegally as children, then grew up in the US, to achieve legal status if meet certain conditions?
Hogan – Position unclear on citizenship. But “stop targeting innocent kids.” “Find a bipartisan, common sense solution to protect Dreamers.” Opposed allowing driver’s licenses for undocumented residents.
Jealous – Yes. “Defend Dreamers & champion a pathway to citizenship at the federal level.” Named “Marylander of the year” for role in securing in-state tuition for undocumented students.
Marijuana: Legalize or decriminalize marijuana?
Hogan – Mixed. Signed bill expanding medical marijuana industry. Wait and see before recreational legalization.
Jealous – Yes. Fully legalize marijuana, including diverse communities in licensing. Use tax revenues to pay for universal, full-day, pre-K education.
Minimum Wage: Raise the minimum wage above the current $10.10?
Hogan – No. Opposed current minimum wage law, then accepted that would pass. Has resisted proposed increase to $15, saying concerned about job losses.
Jealous – Yes. Would raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2023.
Renewable Energy: Support government subsidies for renewable energy?
Hogan – Yes, with limits. Supports the expansion of renewable energy sources & investment in green jobs. Vetoed previously mentioned renewable energy requirements.
Jealous – Yes. Addressing climate change is top priority. “Will build on the surge of clean energy jobs in Maryland & put our state on a path to 100 percent clean energy well before mid-century.”
Taxes: Support President Trump’s tax cuts?
Hogan – Criticized for not taking stand at the time. Proposed legislation to protect Marylanders from being “negatively affected” after passage.
Jealous – No. Denounced the GOP tax law, calling it “disastrous legislation.”
Taxes: Proposals on state taxes
Hogan – Has cut taxes in current term. Would exempt retirement income from taxation.
Voting Rules: Voting rights for felons?
Hogan – Vetoed bill to let felons vote when on probation or parole.
Jealous – Strong supporter of felon voting rights.
