RadioOnFire.com - Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Ben Jealous faced off Monday in their only debate before the November general election.
For Jealous, it was his best opportunity to dig out of what a poll released last week found was a 22-point hole against the Republican incumbent.
Maryland Gov. Debate Larry Hogan vs Ben Jealous
Hogan defended the work of his first term while Jealous, a venture capitalist and the former president of the NAACP, attacked the governor on issues including economic development, education and mass transit. Jealous also attempted to tie Hogan to President Donald Trump, whom Hogan did not support.
On opioids, Jealous said Hogan only opened one underfunded treatment in Baltimore City. He pledged to use rainy day fund money and pursue lawsuits against drugmakers. Hogan, who declared a state of emergency for the crisis, said they've made progress, but said the state needs federal help.
"We are only one of the states to have seen deaths from pain killers and heroin drop, but fentanyl deaths are up," Hogan said.
Hogan said it was Democratic lawmakers who blocked funding for treatment centers.
Early in his first term, Hogan canceled the long-planned Red Line, which would have gone across Baltimore from east to west, and cut state funding for the suburban Washington Purple Line. Hogan cited a Washington Post editorial in saying the Red Line didn't make any economic sense and said the Maryland Transit Administration is the most-improved mass transit system in the country. Jealous said the bus system is broken, and noted complaints from riders as young as 8 years old.
On education, Jealous criticized Hogan for not fully funding schools and siding with Betsy DeVos on a voucher program.
"All I did with Betsy DeVos was sit and read to kids," Hogan retorted. "I sat with two other education secretaries under Obama."
Hogan said the state gave Baltimore City $60 million to put air conditioning schools, yet the first week of classes was beset by early closures in schools still without air conditioning.
Source WBAL
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