By Lauren MacNeill and Brendan Straub
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writers
Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and Democrat Ben Jealous squared off today in the election campaign’s only gubernatorial debate, with each candidate disagreeing over the state of Maryland’s economy, education system and response to the opioid crisis, among other issues.
Hogan, who won a surprising victory in 2014 in deep blue Maryland, touted his record over the past four years, saying that wages have increased 9 percent while unemployment is at 4.2 percent.
He said his decision to lower taxes and tolls brought nearly 100,000 jobs to the state during his first year in office and made Maryland much friendlier to business than under former Gov. Martin O’Malley.
Jealous, the former president and chief executive officer of the NAACP, countered that the economy is not doing as well as Hogan says. The Democrat argued that Maryland’s wage and job growth is last in the Mid-Atlantic region.
He said Virginia created 40,000 more jobs than did Maryland over the past few years, adding that Virginia’s job growth was much slower than the rest of the country.
The debate was taped at Maryland Public Television in Owings Mills this morning, and it was scheduled to be aired statewide this evening. It came almost one month before early voting opens in Maryland on Oct. 25.
Jealous has been fighting an uphill battle since winning the Democratic primary in June, with the latest polls showing him down 22 points just six weeks before the Nov. 6 election. He is trying to become the state’s first black governor while Hogan hopes to be the first Republican to win a second term since 1954.
Hogan came across as confident throughout the hour-long debate while Jealous seemed to stumble over his words during the forum’s first 20 minutes. The governor interrupted Jealous several times to say that the Democrat had his facts wrong, while the former civil rights leader complained that Hogan did not have a plan for the state’s schools.
At one point during the debate, Hogan suggested that Jealous might be unfamiliar with some of the issues in Maryland because he did not grow up in the state.
“It is a fact that the first time you (Jealous) registered to vote was in 2012 and the first time you voted in a primary was for yourself,” Hogan said. “You just don’t know Maryland issues because you haven’t spent enough time here.”
Jealous shot back that Maryland was his home and that the only reason he did not live in the state full-time as a child was because it was illegal for his interracial parents to get married here in 1966.
“I won’t let anyone lie about where I’m from or who I am,” Jealous said.
Hogan reiterated several times during the debate that Maryland was on the wrong track when he decided to run for governor four years ago.
“I decided to step up and do something about that,” Hogan said. “I promise to put Maryland on a new path.”
The Republican governor described himself as a moderate who can put aside the divided politics that dominate Washington.
“Four years ago, I stood on the steps of our state house in Annapolis and I said, ‘Let’s not have the divisiveness that has affected our nation divide our state,’” Hogan said. “There still is much work to be done but we will move Maryland forward and make a better state.”
Jealous said he wants to expand Medicare to all Maryland citizens, a move he says will attract businesses because private companies would not have to pay the high cost of private health insurance for their employees.
He also said he wants to create a more robust economy and put an end to mass incarceration in the state.
“Folks will tell you the things I want to do are hard, and they’re right,” Jealous said. “Nothing worth doing is easy.”
The two candidates disagreed on the state of Maryland schools.
Jealous said Maryland schools fell from first to sixth in the nation under Hogan’s administration, which he said cut school funding by almost $100 million.
Hogan disagreed and said Maryland schools were never actually the best in the country.
Hogan said the former Democratic administration cheated on children’s test scores, inflating the numbers by giving students increased grades that Hogan said they did not deserve. He also stated that O’Malley omitted kids with special needs and those who speak English as a second language.
Jealous called for a 29 percent increase in teacher salaries over the next seven years, as well as a universal full-day pre-K program to be paid for through the taxation of legalized marijuana.
“The best way to close the achievement gap is to have a high-quality teacher in every classroom,” Jealous said.
Hogan countered that the governor has little to do with teacher salaries, which are determined by local jurisdictions.
“We do need to pay our teachers better. However, they do not work for the governor,” Hogan said. “Ben Jealous has no ability to deliver on that promise whatsoever.”
Hogan said his administration has invested approximately $25 billion in K-12. He said he believes that “every child deserves world class education.”
But Jealous questioned why, if Maryland had spent record amounts of money on education, it was not showing up with more educated children.
“If we have record funding, why don’t we have record results?” Jealous asked.
Later, in his closing statement, Jealous added: “The promise of Maryland, as Hogan says, has driven down school achievement and governed over-increasing healthcare costs. I have a plan to restore the promise of our state.”
The two candidates disagreed over how Hogan handled he opioid epidemic, which along with heroin and fentanyl took 2,282 lives in Maryland in 2017 – the seventh consecutive year that drug fatalities increased.
Hogan said opioid addiction is the No. 1 problem facing Maryland communities.
Both Hogan and Jealous said they have been personally affected by the crisis, as both parties have immediate relatives who have struggled with opioid addiction.
“I have a cousin in rehab for heroin right now,” Jealous said. “This isn’t about politics, it’s about people and lives.”
Hogan said he was the first governor to declare the opioid crisis a state of emergency while Jealous criticized the governor for waiting until February 2017 to take action.
“We’ve gone after it from every direction, and it’s a terrible crisis,” Hogan said.
Hogan said he started an emergency task force to tackle the opioid crisis shortly after taking office. He said his administration has invested $6 million towards opioid prevention, but he added that it will take a partnership between the state and federal governments to make more headway.
Jealous said he would have no issues suing pharmaceutical companies to restore funds and “make them pay for the pain and havoc.”
Unemployment rates have also been on Maryland’s radar over the past four years, although both candidates had different views on the status of Maryland’s economy.
The governor said Maryland’s economy has turned around and unemployment rates have gone down statewide. Jealous said Maryland has been dead last in job and income growth in the last four years.
Hogan acknowledged that people from western Maryland and the Eastern Shore have felt ignored and neglected. He said he has put his focus in these areas, adding that he kept his promises and visited all 24 jurisdictions.
Following the debate, Democratic Party officials expressed confidence that Jealous would prevail on Election Day.
“With Ben Jealous, I think you saw energy, someone with a bold vision who really wants to move forward. I think that is what frames this race,” said Kathleen Matthews, the chairwoman of the state’s Democratic Party. “I think that is why voters will look at the debate tonight and see an opportunity to have fresh leadership.”
Baltimore City Council member Brandon Scott said the debate was a “turning point” in the race.
“Marylanders want a governor who will take us forward,” Scott said. “Hogan spent all of his time stuck in the past. You can’t progress or move forward with a governor who is stuck in the past.”
Despite his low numbers in the polls, Matthews said Democrats are energized for the midterm elections.
“We have optimism that Ben Jealous will be the next governor of Maryland and we believe the numbers point to a blue wave, that there’s a path to victory in the state,” Matthews said.
Richard Vatz, professor of communications at Towson University, said its important for candidates to make strong arguments to back proposed policies.
“When you only have one debate you have got to make the argument that the current situation is so deleterious that you have policies that can solve those situations,” Vatz said. “I didn’t see that argument. It seems that Ben Jealous may have introduced himself, but he’s got to do more.”
Before leaving the Maryland Public Television studio, Hogan told reporters he felt good about the debate and was happy to finally meet Jealous. His plan now is to go out and reach more voters before the upcoming election.
Polls will be open to all Maryland residents on Nov. 6. Voters who are unsure of where to vote should visit this website.