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

During his time as leader, Hogan 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 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 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 Jealous is the superior candidate to 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 Jealous, knocking on doors, spreading the message on social media and more.

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Joe Andrucyk