Anthony Brown
You know an election is getting competitive when you have to call in national figures to support your campaign. During the past few weeks, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown has hosted President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to help rally voters. Similarly, Republican candidate Larry Hogan has hosted Republican Governors Association chairman and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie four times throughout Hogan’s campaign.
Recent polls and commentary labeling this race as a toss-up say a lot about how voters view Brown, who’s fighting for the governor’s seat in a deep-blue state — one where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1. Last week, the Cook Political Report classified this race as a “toss-up,” and the Gonzales Research Poll, conducted between Oct. 20-24, showed Hogan 2 percentage points behind Brown, well within the 3.5 percent margin of error. At the same time, both a Washington Post poll and FiveThirtyEight have shown Brown with a relatively safe lead.
Regardless of who is more likely to win, choosing a candidate to endorse was a difficult decision. Though this editorial board has many qualms about each candidate, we believe Anthony Brown is the better choice for governor.
Yes, Brown was responsible for the disastrous rollout of this state’s health exchange, resulting in the abandonment of a $125.5 million investment. He unjustifiably criticized Hogan for supporting “massive college tuition increases” during former Gov. Bob Ehrlich’s tenure and seems to be riding much of his platform on the coattails of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s accomplishments.
Though Hogan has focused his campaign narrowly on economics, he has not adequately addressed the student loan crisis or college affordability in this state. Additionally, his four years of public service as state cabinet secretary doesn’t match the breadth of government experience Brown has under his belt.
We believe Brown is the stronger candidate because of his focus on college affordability as well as his more coherent platform.
With O’Malley, Brown helped freeze tuition for four years during the recession, with recent tuition increases at public colleges and universities in this state averaging out at a low 3.3 percent a year. Independently, Brown has promised to limit tuition increases to no more than 3 percent a year at these public institutions.
Hogan, on the other hand, does not lay out ideas for college affordability in his campaign’s platform. Though his promise to cut waste in this state and create a job-friendly environment are admirable, Brown plans to oppose supporting any tax increases during his tenure, showing a level of fiscal restraint as well.
Hogan’s promise to seek a 5 percent cut in state spending also seems broad and impossible, as that is almost equivalent to the brash spending cuts by this state during the recession.
Let’s face it: This state hasn’t been performing as well as we’d like it to. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates show this state had no economic growth in 2013, ranking 49th out of all U.S. states and Washington in real gross domestic product. CNN Money also found that this state ranks second, behind only New York, in terms of highest personal income tax dollars per $1,000.
Choosing a candidate is hard when both seem to have issues in their platforms and in their campaigns. We cautiously support Brown, hoping he’ll maintain this state’s reputation in terms of college affordability but improve its reputation for economic growth.
