Maryland is Changing

Statement

It is amazing to me the number of times I have read an article by the mainstream media deeming Maryland a "blue state." More often than not, the article is written by someone who has never been to Maryland and never spoken to anyone from Maryland. The fact of the matter is that Maryland's registration numbers do not accurately portray what the people of Maryland currently care about or what they are looking for in a leader.

Let's look at the facts, starting with the most recent election. In 2014, Larry Hogan defeated the then sitting Lt. Governor Anthony Brown in a state where registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans two to one. In that election, Governor Hogan carried 20 of the 24 jurisdictions and was outspent $25 million to $5 million. But Governor Hogan's election wasn't the only Republican victory in 2014. Republicans picked up seven seats in the House of Delegates and two seats in the State Senate in a year when redistricting should have caused Republicans to lose seats. Republicans also picked up two County Executive seats and 28 local seats. Republicans now hold five of the nine County Executive seats, and there are more county-level elected Republicans (184) than county-level elected Democrats (124). There are now 1 million registered Republicans in Maryland, the highest number of registered Republicans in the state's history.

One of the most telling elections happened in Dundalk. Dundalk had previously been a stronghold for state Democrats. In 2014, Republicans swept all five seats in Dundalk, electing one county council member, one state senator, and all three delegates. This was the first time in 50 years Republicans won in this area -- proving that even the most entrenched Democratic areas are trending towards Republicans.

Since this sweeping election, Marylanders could not be happier with the direction the state is headed. Governor Hogan has some of the highest support in the country -- as high as 70 percent -- even in the middle of a very contentious General Assembly session. In other words, Marylanders like Governor Hogan's common sense reforms to lower taxes, decrease tolls, and balance the budget. And it's much more likely they are going to want to send someone to Washington who shares his common sense approach to government than another career politician.

I want to remind the mainstream media and the Washington elite that Marylanders are not so easily put into a box when it comes to their political preferences. We are independent thinkers who select the leader we think will do the best job representing us.

This year, Marylanders have a clear choice. On one hand, they have a career politician and ultimate DC insider who was hand selected by the establishment. Under his watch, the national debt has tripled, health care prices have skyrocketed, we have seen a rise in the threat of terrorism by extremist elements, and Maryland working class families just can't seem to get ahead. On the other hand, they have a wife, a mom, a grandmom, and a small business owner. I know what it means to sign a paycheck, I know what it takes to balance a budget, and as a parent who sent their children to Baltimore public schools, I know what we need to do to fix our education system.

But most importantly, like the people of Maryland, I am also an independent thinker who understands that we need common sense, business-minded reforms in Washington if we are ever going to take our government back.

To the mainstream media and the Washington elite who have already decided this election for the people of Maryland without asking them: be prepared for a surprise in November.

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