The race for the governorship of the state of Maryland has garnered large amounts of attention in recent months as Democratic newcomer Jealous and Republican incumbent Hogan go head-to-head in the upcoming election this November.

    According to his very own website, Ben Jealous grew up spending his summers in western Baltimore and is now a civil rights leader, community organizer and much more. His mother grew up in a public housing complex in McCulloh and participated in the movement to desegregate Western High School in 1954. Meanwhile, his father was one of the very few white men jailed during the effort by the CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) to desegregate Baltimore’s downtown business district. Ben became the youngest ever leader of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).

    During his time as leader, he not only worked with the governors of both California and Iowa to cease mass incarceration and expand civil rights, but also aided in the efforts to pass many pieces of valuable legislation during the first term of former president Barack Obama. Right now, Jealous works at an investment firm primarily focused on companies that work to make social progressive change by the name of Kapor Capital.

    Maryland.gov reports that Larry Hogan initially worked in the private sector for over a quarter of a century before founding Change Maryland, and organization focused on delivering common sense and fiscal responsibility to the Maryland state government. He has provided record funding for K-12 education each year since he took public office.

    In March, 2017, Hogan became the first governor to declare a State of Emergency in an effort to combat the opioid crisis. Furthermore, he quickly made major investments in transit, roads and bridges after being sworn in as governor of Maryland.

    However, people shouldn’t let Hogan’s “accomplishments” in education fool them. During Hogan’s time as governor, Maryland’s public schools went from being ranked first down to sixth. Furthermore, while Governor Hogan supports a children having “access” to a world-class education, Jealous supports universal Pre-K, making public college tuition-free and ending the student debt crisis.

     Hogan may have taken steps to help protect the Chesapeake Bay, but Jealous not only wants a clean Chesapeake, but also wants to move the state to a 100% clean and renewable energy system. Finally while Ben Jealous supports net neutrality, public broadband and creating a network of gigabit cities, Hogan hasn’t shown any support for such a popular position. Perhaps it’s because of the $14,500 he has taken from AT&T (Source: VoteSmart).

    By this point, it’s obvious that Ben Jealous is the superior candidate to Larry Hogan, ranging from him not taking corporate money to supporting policies that favor the people and the planet over profit. Now, with the general election only some two months away, Supporters of Jealous must spread the word in order for him to win, whether it means phone banking for Ben, knocking on doors, spreading the message on social media and more.