Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Rich Madaleno Speaks to Frostburg Students

As a candidate with distinguished political experience, Rich Madaleno credits his “high degree of involvement and familiarity” as the main factor to differentiate him from the other Democratic candidates as he is running to be elected as the Democratic nominee in the 2018 midterm elections to challenge current governor, incumbent Larry Hogan.

Madaleno has served in the Maryland General Assembly for 18 years. He believes the state needs a Democratic candidate who understands why past policies and initiatives have been passed or proposed in the state government and how to continue to move the state forward. If Madaleno were to be elected governor, he would make history as the first openly gay governor in any state in the country. His running mate is Luwanda Jenkins, a Baltimore native who has experience in both the public and private sector. She served as Governor O’Malley’s Special Secretary for the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs.

“No one has my track record in engagement or success,” Madaleno mentioned as he began his public event on campus. He continued and said he has the most aggressive field campaign and is utilizing technology to know his voters and know what issues are of importance to them.

Madaleno highlighted his main issues in the beginning of his public event on campus: education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

He plans to “transform and revolutionize” public education by changing the school day and changing funding. He said that Maryland and the rest of the United States needs to catch up the other developed countries. He hopes to change funding for four-year institutions. Madaleno continued to discuss the Affordable Care Act and the importance of “protecting” and taking an innovative approach to continue to reduce the number of uninsured. Currently, the amount of those uninsured is below six percent. He also shared that Maryland needs to invest in smart mass transit services, which current Governor Hogan is failing to do, according to Madaleno. Governor Hogan did not provide state funds for the preliminary engineering phase for the Red Line in Baltimore in 2015. Madaleno notes that we need to “focus on moving the state forward” in terms of its infrastructure. He also added in that the last time he was on Frostburg’s campus he was initiating the construction of various facilities on campus. He plans to initiate similar projects at institutions state-wide if elected as governor.

Madaleno appealed to those in attendance to join his campaign – he plans to “get this done and get it done right.” He said, “when Democrats show up, we cannot lose” while crediting the Trump administration with unifying and energizing the Democratic party. The young people play an important role in the election, Madaleno said, as his political involvement began in college. He believes the young people are the backbone of the party. Ultimately, he plans to “build a strong apparatus to build a strong party to deliver on promises” as he understands the importance of having a legislature that agrees.

During his public event, Madaleno was asked about his plan for healthcare if he were to win governor. “I firmly believe that healthcare is a universal human right,” Madaleno said. He believes that Maryland is making progress, but to create universal healthcare it would take a multi-state approach. The German and Dutch system is one to model after, according to Madaleno. Both nations have universal care, but some insurance companies serve as gatekeepers to administer the system. If he were to win governor, Madaleno would have the authority to appoint the State Insurance Commissioner. As a candidate, Madaleno is looking to propose ideas so that he “makes promises I can deliver on.” While talking with TBL, he expanded on his stance. He proposes an all-payer system and a new model on reimbursing hospitals based on global budgeting. There is a lump sum that is needed to keep communities healthy, he added which saves money. He noted the biggest challenges faced regarding this issue is redirecting money back to the uninsured and regulating the system. He hopes to “stabilize care for economically challenged communities” and push for more hold down on costs to increase resources needed for coverage.

Another student inquired about Madaleno’s stance on the possibility of bringing Amazon’s second headquarters to Montgomery County. Madaleno boasted about Maryland’s work force by saying the state has the “best educated workforce in the country” and this is true because of the “talent of people here.” He continued and emphasized that it would be “transformative to the state of Maryland.” He believes that having Amazon’s second headquarters in Montgomery County would enable the state government to invest money to improve higher education. It would bring an estimate of 50,000 – 80,000 jobs to the state which is nearly two-thirds of the size of the state government. He believes it would increase diversity in the Washington D.C. economy, as well as improve the area and the state’s economy.

Madaleno then touched on his stance regarding environmental policies. He believes the state needs to move from fossil fuels to clean energy. Around 200 years ago, the move toward fossil fuels was initiated in Baltimore, so Madaleno proposed that the state could lead the country again and have the move away from fossil fuels begin in Baltimore.

To continue, a student asked a question about tech fluency in the school systems. He answered that STEM positions vary on the type of employer, and because the Maryland economy is centered around such career opportunities from Johns Hopkins and the federal government, the skills do have importance. However, Madaleno said that the individual entering the workforce must have the “skills and vision.” He also noted that nearly every career field involves writing, which is a skill that comes from humanities rather than STEM. He credited Maryland with having a diverse workforce – not only in the “who,” but also in the skills the individuals have the offer.

Madaleno also touched on his belief that governor of Maryland is the most powerful governor in the country because of the power from the state’s constitution. He said it’s an “influential position” but almost “too powerful” in his opinion.

The region of Western Maryland came into discussion. Madaleno expressed the importance of “connectedness” via broadband, cell phone technology, and more types of connection. He emphasized that region needs to remain competitive and connected. He plans to ensure that Western Marylanders are connected to economic opportunities and their fellow Marylanders. Madaleno believes there is a potential economy in recreation tourism, retirement communities, and manufacturing, as mentioned in conversation with TBL. In correlation with recreation tourism, Madaleno expanded by explaining that there are opportunities to be exploited in the realm of adventure sports. He plans to focus on how the state can partner with local strengths and with Western Maryland institutions. He wants to give control to the region rather than the state.

In talking with TBL, Madaleno was able to expand on various points he touched on during his public event.

Madaleno accentuated on his plan to enact debt-free education. He began by clarifying that most of the plans do not assume room and board with the costs and that debt free education does not mean free college. He highlighted that the graduation rates are poor from programs that cover everything. Having to pay some offers an incentive for the individual to take advantage of the opportunity. The individual would make a contribution with what they can pay towards earning their degree or certification and the last of the money would come from federal resources, while the state would make up the difference of what was not covered. He also has co-sponsored bills that provide for tuition free community college.

“Thrive by 25” is a mantra Madaleno focuses on during his campaign as he believes all individuals should have the skills to be self-sufficient by 25. To thrive in today’s society, Madaleno believes young people need to take responsibility by 25 and have obtained some sort of employable talent. They need to be in an economic position to start making investments necessary to have a productive adulthood to prevent a cycle of difficulties. To “thrive by 25,” individuals would have the skills needed for economic freedom and personal freedom.

As an openly gay candidate, Madaleno has assisted in leading the transformation in this state towards acceptance of the LGBTQ community. He has been at the forefront of various initiatives in support of equal rights. Parents of gay children have told Madaleno that it is “exciting” to see someone in his position with his sexual orientation because it enables their children to “see themselves in that role.” He emphasized that there are no limits because of his sexual orientation. Madaleno also said that his ability to run as an openly gay candidate reinforces the progress the country and state has made towards equality. Laughing, Madaleno discussed the “gay agenda” – good schools, clean environments, a livable commute, and strong job opportunities.

Madaleno brings his past political experience and involvement to the 2018 race for Maryland governor.