This story is part of the series, “Voter Voices.” 草莓传媒 asked voters across Maryland what issues concerned them, and who would be getting their vote in the upcoming election for governor. Other chapters have included stops in Montgomery County, Baltimore City,听Frederick County,听and Prince George’s and Calvert counties.
HOWARD COUNTY, Md. 鈥� Election Day is now less than a month away. How is the closely watched race for governor between popular Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and Democratic challenger Ben Jealous shaping up in Howard County 鈥� one of Maryland’s traditional “tossup” counties.
From the Mall in Columbia, to the sidewalk outside an Ellicott City tattoo parlor, 草莓传媒 asked voters in Howard County about their concerns and priorities in the last few weeks of a contentious race for the governor’s mansion.
Hogan continues to tout his administration鈥檚 accomplishments. On Wednesday, Hogan appeared with students from across Maryland while announcing a statewide tip line designed to alert officials to potential school violence. Jealous, has enlisted some star power in his campaign: appearing with comedian and actor Dave Chappelle in a series of campaign events.
Howard County is often considered a swing state and a “bellwether” by political analysts 鈥� a place to help gauge which way the tide is turning across the state as a whole. While registered Democrats outnumber Republicans, the county currently has a Republican county executive, who is running for re-election.
鈥淜ittleman is polling in a manner similar to how Hogan is polling statewide 鈥� suggesting that Howard County may be that bellwether again this time around,” said Todd Eberly, associate professor of political science at St. Mary鈥檚 College of Maryland.
Bruce DePuyt, senior reporter with Maryland Matters, said 鈥淗oward County has a very similar voter profile to Montgomery County; highly educated, very affluent.鈥� Like Montgomery County residents, DePuyt said Howard County residents tend to put education at the top of their list of priorities for local government.
And like their neighbors in Montgomery County, they are concerned with transportation.
鈥淢any people who live in Howard County commute to a job either north to Baltimore or south to Washington. Either way they鈥檝e got a challenge,鈥� with commutes that can leave them sitting in traffic 鈥� but many find the commute worth it.
A lot has been written about how voters are turned off by the current political climate, but that鈥檚 not true for two of the Howard County residents who talked about the upcoming election with 草莓传媒.
Howard County 鈥� by the numbers
Total population: 313,113
Median household income:聽$113,800
Racial demographics: 57 percent white; 19.5 percent African-American; 7 percent Latino; 19 percent Asian
Registered voters
- Active registered Democrats: 106,769
- Active registered Republicans: 55,845
- Active registered unaffiliated voters: 47,965
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Maryland State Board of Elections
Carolyn Adams was shopping at the newly-opened Barnes and Noble at the Columbia Mall when she was asked about the election for governor. 鈥淚鈥檝e always voted,鈥� she said enthusiastically. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important.鈥�
‘Pie in the sky’ promises or goals to strive for?
Adams, who said she is active in local community life, first settled in Columbia in 1976, attracted by the vision of developer James Rouse to create an integrated, welcoming community. 鈥淢y late husband was African-American. We met here in Columbia and lived here for 30 years, so Columbia鈥檚 very precious to me.鈥�
After her husband鈥檚 death, she settled in Florida. That lasted for seven years. She said she returned to Columbia because she missed her home 鈥� and the community she left behind in her home state. Adams, who is white, said 鈥淔lorida is a bunch of old, white people who voted for Trump.鈥�
Having moved back to Columbia recently, she said she鈥檚 getting up to speed on Hogan’s record. 鈥淗e鈥檚 not too bad as Republicans go,” she said, but Hogan won鈥檛 get her vote, she said. She opposed his repeal of stormwater management fees, something Hogan liked to call the 鈥渞ain tax.”
She will be voting for Jealous, even though she said, 鈥淚鈥檓 realistic enough to think he probably won鈥檛 win.鈥� She is aware that critics say Jealous鈥� stance on health care and free college education are 鈥減ie in the sky鈥� but added: 鈥淚 think you have to be striving for something, you have to put goals out there.鈥�
Jeanette Simpson, an Ellicott City resident, was out shopping with her daughter at the Mall in Columbia when she was asked about her concerns in the governor鈥檚 race.
She cited pollution, the environment and schools as her key issues. She’s also keeping a keen eye on education funding.
“I鈥檓 a Democrat by nature, but I 鈥� surprisingly 鈥� have liked Hogan,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e has not been what I would consider 鈥� what I would classify 鈥� as a standard 鈥楻epublican鈥� candidate,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e has a reasonable track record for me, but I鈥檓 inclined toward Democratic issues.” She said she鈥檚 got some more research to do.
Education, transportation and crossing the political divide
Outside the Ghost Town Tattoo parlor in Ellicott City, Gabriella Fiorino and Connor Brown talked about their concerns.
Fiorino attends the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and is preparing for a career in early childhood education. She said she is concerned about low teacher salaries, referring to how teachers often use money from their own pocket to make sure their classrooms have adequate supplies. Democrat Ben Jealous has suggested coming up with a fund to reimburse teachers for those expenses.
But Fiorino, an unaffiliated voter, also wants the next governor to focus on small businesses.
鈥淢y parents own a small business,鈥� she said, explaining how she holds some views that align with Republicans on economic matters, 鈥渢here are also some social issues that I feel very strongly about that would be considered Democratic.”
She said she wishes people would cross the political divide more often. 鈥淣owadays, politics is more about an argument than a conversation,鈥� she said.
Brown, who also attends UMBC, said he isn鈥檛 up to speed on who鈥檚 on the ballot right now, but is certain that education and transportation matter the most to him. 鈥淚 know I drive my car on a lot of very bad roads.” He said he’s hoping for a governor who will pour more money into transportation.
For him, that鈥檚 roads, but he said he鈥檚 got a lot of friends who take public transportation to school.
鈥淚 know they complain a lot about inconsistency鈥� and an inability to rely on transit. When it comes time to decide who will get his vote, he鈥檒l put his IT major to use: he鈥檒l go online to do his research. 鈥淚 have a computer in front of me 12 hours a day,鈥� he said with a laugh. He said he tends to go to a politician鈥檚 website to see what their platform is, 鈥渁nd then I鈥檒l dig deeper into things.鈥�
