The Maryland Gubernatorial Race: A Last-Minute Comprehensive Voters' Guide

By Christian Spencer

On Nov. 4 voters will go to the polls to elect either Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (D) or businessman Larry Hogan (R) as the new governor of Maryland, the state’s chief executive officer.

This election in particular has garnered national interest beyond expectations. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), a potential presidential candidate in 2016, has visited Maryland three times in support of Hogan. Former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is expected to seek the Democratic nomination for president, was expected to stump for Brown at an appearance Oct. 30 in College Park.

In a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by 2 to 1, it is a shocker to many that Hogan is nine points behind Brown's 47%, according to a University of Maryland poll cited by John Wagner and Peyton M. Craighill of The Washington Post.

It is unclear who will be successful in the race for governor, but The Spectrum encourages all Maryland voters to let their voices be heard as we present an analysis to optimize voters' choices for the Maryland Gubernatorial race of 2014.

Anthony Brown is currently the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, meaning he is second-in command to incumbent Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), who is leaving office due to term limits.

Brown has more experience in the executive office because of his current position observing his leader O'Malley, according to former president Bill Clinton, who has thrown his support behind Brown.

The lieutenant governor is also a former colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, serving one tour in Iraq and earning two awards, Legion of Merit and Bronze Star. This Harvard graduate’s pivotal focus as governor is to fund universal pre-kindergarten, increase the minimum wage, get guns off the streets, make higher education more affordable and boost women's rights.

Brown said also that he wants tax relief for working- and middle-class families in sharp contrast to Hogan's conservative stance of lowering income taxes to smaller but established businesses headquartered out of state, a $300 million taxpayer giveaway per year, according to Brown's website.

Larry Hogan Jr. is the son of a former U.S. Congressman of Maryland's 5th district and a native Washingtonian. Hogan has a professional background in business with his company called Hogan Companies, a leading real estate services firm established in 1985.

In addition, Hogan operates a grassroots (political movement) organization called Change Maryland, whose primary goal is to slow Maryland’s government spending.

During an interview on Fox News on July 12, 2012, Hogan stated that higher taxes cost $1.2 billion in tax revenue, causing Maryland citizens and businesses to move elsewhere. There have been 40 consecutive tax increases within the eight years that O'Malley-Brown have been in office, Hogan said.

Hogan said on the Maryland Gubernatorial Debate 2014 that "we (Maryland) lost 8,000 businesses," and criticized Brown and O'Malley's taxpayers' giveaways. He claims he is not a politician and straightforward man with no strings attach or deception. As governor, Hogan wants to restore Maryland's failing economy, diversify schools and better their performances, improve job creation, stop government mismanagement and cut taxes that have been plaguing Maryland's development since 2006.