Ben Jealous in 2018 MD Governor's race


On Budget & Economy: Rebuild economy that doesn't leave anyone behind

Make It In Maryland: Building A More Inclusive, Thriving Economy. Wage growth for Maryland's families have fallen behind under Governor Hogan and we need new leadership to create an economy that is truly inclusive and meets the needs of our state. As a businessman and civil rights leader, I know how to build an economy that leaves no family behind, no worker behind, no young person behind and no person behind whoÿhasÿpaid their debt to society and deserves a second chance.
Source: 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial campaign website, BenJealous.com Jun 26, 2018

On Civil Rights: Experience as Civil Rights leader will move state forward

Maryland has been a civil rights leader before, and we can do it again. I've spent my entire adult life as a civil rights leader and community organizer, working to build broad diverse coalitions to move every community forward.
Source: 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial campaign website, BenJealous.com Jun 26, 2018

On Crime: Smart-on-crime policies that create a just system for all

Our current criminal justice system is wasteful, inefficient, and makes us less safe. We must implement smart-on-crime policies that ensure safety and prosperity while creating a just system for all.
Source: 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial campaign website, BenJealous.com Jun 26, 2018

On Drugs: Recognizes the suffering caused from the opioid epidemic

Our state is in crisis. Communities across Maryland, from Baltimore to Oakland to Ocean City, La Plata, Elkton, Rockville, and everywhere in between are suffering from the scourge of addiction to heroin and other opioids.
Source: 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial campaign website, BenJealous.com Jun 26, 2018

On Education: Raise school spending with gambling revenue & legalized pot

Before Gov. Hogan took office, public schools were ranked first in the country for 5 years running. Now, under his leadership, we've slipped to sixth. As governor, I will reverse this trend by making sure we raise teacher pay by 29%, fund full-day universal Pre-K by legalizing and taxing marijuana for adult use, and force Annapolis to finally keep its promise to use all of the casino and lottery revenue to increase education spending, not replace money they've shifted to other priorities.
Source: 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial campaign website, BenJealous.com Jun 26, 2018

On Energy & Oil: Will set deadline to change to 100% clean, renewable energy

Wayne Gretzky once said that his success as a hockey player was because he skated to where the puck was going. The puck in energy is heading towards renewables fast, and if we want to make sure our kids grow up in an economy that is leading the charge, we have to take action now. As governor, I will: Set a deadline for 100% clean and renewable energy and provide 21st-century jobs for the Maryland economy.
Source: 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial campaign website, BenJealous.com Jun 26, 2018

On Environment: Protecting environment will give back economic opportunities

As a life-long environmentalist, I know that protecting our planet is not just a moral imperative, it is an economic opportunity that Maryland can take to propel our state forward. Protecting our environment is as much a question of doing the right thing by ourselves as it is doing right by our kids. I want my children to be able to swim in the Bay for decades and grow up in a state on the cutting edge of the 21st century.
Source: 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial campaign website, BenJealous.com Jun 26, 2018

On Health Care: Medicare-for-all is the answer to make healthcare affordable

We must stop rising premiums and lower skyrocketing drug prices. The only solution for Maryland's healthcare crisis is a Medicare-for-All System. We must create a healthcare system that ensures residents are protected. I'll do what it takes to make sure premiums don't bankrupt our families and strangle small businesses. My commitment to a Medicare-for-All system is grounded in a belief that healthcare is a moral and economic imperative that we can no longer ignore.
Source: 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial campaign website, BenJealous.com Jun 26, 2018

On Homeland Security: Advocate for veterans; honor the Buffalo Soldiers

Today I was in Baltimore honoring the Buffalo Soldiers with the National Association for Black Veterans. Proud to honor these soldiers with an organization advocating for veterans!
Source: Twitter posting on on 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial race Jun 26, 2018

On Immigration: For society to be healthy all members need to be embraced

Immigrants have shaped our state since before it was founded. We have a moral responsibility to ensure members of our community are afforded equal opportunity, but we also have an economic responsibility to cultivate the talent immigrant families bring. Immigrants are doctors, nurses, and students. They serve in our police forces and teach our children in school. They deserve our protection and policies that attempt to break up communities hurt all of us, not just those who weren't born here.
Source: 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial campaign website, BenJealous.com Jun 26, 2018

On Jobs: Knows firsthand the benefits of working union jobs

It was the support of unions, good union jobs, and a double union household, that helped pull my family out of McCulloh Homes Public Housing. My success is due to my and my family's hard work, but it is also due to the fact that unions make hard work enough to succeed, and for too many families today that simply isn't the case. When I'm governor, hard work is going to be enough for everyone to make sure that their kids are better off than they are.
Source: 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial campaign website, BenJealous.com Jun 26, 2018

On Jobs: Fight to raise minimum wage to $15/hr

Wage growth for Maryland's families have fallen behind under Gov. Hogan and we need new leadership to create an economy that is truly inclusive and meets the needs of our state. I know how to build an economy that leaves no family behind, no worker behind, no young person behind and no person behind whoÿhasÿpaid their debt to society. I've helped lead the fight for a $15 minimum wage and ensure fair treatment for groups routinely exploited and excluded from business and employment opportunities.
Source: 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial campaign website, BenJealous.com Jun 26, 2018

On Technology: Make investment in infrastructure a must-have priority

As governor, Jealous will prioritize investment in Port infrastructure to grow jobs for Maryland and the Baltimore region. He will used renewed investment in clean energy, transportation, and leverage other strengths including proximity to world-class research and technology institutions to bring manufacturing back to the Port of Baltimore.
Source: 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial campaign website, BenJealous.com Jun 26, 2018

On Principles & Values: Background rooted in civil rights and social justice

[In a candidate profile on Baltimore CBS Local, Jealous said]: Growing up in a family rooted in civil rights and in social justice has shaped my worldview. My grandmother was a social worker who would teach me that "you can't half-solve a problem, if you do, you still got a problem." My mother made sure I grew up as an activist and an organizer. And come November, as governor when I fight for the rights of working people, it will be because of those same principles my family has lived by for decades.
Source: Baltimore CBS Local on 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial race Jun 13, 2018

On Tax Reform: Tax the top 1% earners by 1% to pay for free college

Jealous wants Maryland to require a $15 minimum wage and become the first state in the country to adopt its own single-payer health-care system. As governor, he says, he would aim to reduce the prison population by 30 percent, raise the cigarette tax and increase income taxes by 1 percent on the top 1 percent of earners to help pay for several programs that would allow students to go to public colleges and universities free.
Source: Washington Post on 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial race Jun 8, 2018

On Gun Control: Wants governor to join multi-state coalition on gun control

TODAY, Thursday, February 22, Ben Jealous, former National President & CEO of the NAACP, called on Larry Hogan to join a recently announced multi-state coalition supporting stronger gun control measures and to refuse support from the NRA. Earlier today, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Connecticut created States for Gun Safety, a coalition of states working to enhance state cooperation to stop gun violence.
Source: 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial campaign website, BenJealous.com Feb 22, 2018

The above quotations are from 2018 Maryland Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage.
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Page last updated: Mar 19, 2019