Sally MacDonald, a 74-year-old Leisure World resident, says Democratic party loyalty has been passed down in her family like a genetic trait.
So, no one was more surprised than she when she began feeling the urge to vote for Republican Larry Hogan in the 2014 gubernatorial race.
“I had to consult with my cousins,” she said. “What would my grandpa say about this?”
It was the first time in her life she’d ever cast a ballot for a GOP candidate, but four years later, she has no regrets. To the contrary, as she informed Hogan this week, she’s planning on doing it again in November.
Though Democrats hold sway in Leisure World, the large active adult community in Silver Spring, MacDonald was among the residents who gave Hogan a warm reception Tuesday evening when he arrived touting his popularity in a deep blue state.
The Republican governor is riding a wave of optimism from a recent independent poll that showed him leading his Democratic opponent, Ben Jealous, by 16 points statewide. At the same time, the same survey indicated that Hogan might be struggling in Montgomery County, where he trailed Jealous by 35 percentage points.
His campaign stop at Leisure World gave him exposure in a community packed with thousands of Montgomery County’s most reliable voters—granted, about two-thirds of them Democrats.
Addressing a couple hundred residents in a Leisure World clubhouse, Hogan opened with a personal update about his grandchildren and new puppies before he dove into policy.
He talked about making Maryland more affordable during his term, rising above partisan politics and investing in roads and bridges. He mentioned efforts to provide more tax relief to retirees; for instance, he’s signed proposals expanding exemptions for retirement income of veterans, former law enforcement officers and firefighters. And he said he’ll push for more tax relief if he wins a second term.
“We’re not going to stop fighting for you until we exempt 100 percent of your retirement income from Maryland state taxes,” Hogan said to loud applause.
After Hogan’s speech, audience members at the event, sponsored by Leisure World’s Republican club, lined up to question the governor about education, health care and local transportation projects.
One man told Hogan he’d sweep Leisure World’s three precincts if only he exercised his gubernatorial influence to finish the construction project at Norbeck Road and Georgia Avenue, just outside the retirement community.
Hogan answered by saying the state was at work on major transportation projects totaling $8 billion and was moving forward with the Purple Line light-rail project connecting Bethesda and New Carrollton. He’s also proposed a $9 billion initiative to ease traffic congestion on Interstate 270, the Beltway and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
“So it should be no problem to fix Norbeck and Georgia Avenue. … As soon as I get off the stage and I’m in my truck, I’m going to call the secretary of transportation and say, ‘Why the heck isn’t this road fixed yet?’” Hogan said, eliciting laughter from the audience.
MacDonald said Hogan’s affability and “collegiality” were what drew her to him in the last election, and the Republican governor on Tuesday drove home the point that he’s avoided the partisan rancor that has characterized national politics.
Resident Paul Bessel, a Democrat, says Hogan’s nice-guy approach is a welcome contrast to Republicans such as Donald Trump. But it’s not enough to win his vote.
Bessel said he supports Jealous for his forward-thinking platform and emphasis on expanding pre-kindergarten education. It’s also important to him that Trump can’t claim any Republican victories on Election Day.
“The main thing is that Trump is so bad, I want him to wake up on Election Day and see the whole country is against him,” Bessel said.
For that alone, he’d support Jealous, he said.
Bethany Rodgers can be reached at bethany.rodgers@moco360.media.
