In his 2020 State of the State address earlier today, Governor Larry Hogan continued to show why Maryland is “setting an example for the rest of the nation.”
While politicians in Washington rush to disrespect their political adversaries, Governor Hogan began his speech by warmly embracing Democratic leaders and the “diversity” of Maryland, expressing his “distinct privilege to be the first Maryland Governor to begin a State of the State address by saying: Madam Speaker.”
In contrast to the “toxic politics” of Washington, Governor Hogan applauded Marylanders for “working together to tackle our common problems” and “to seek that middle ground where we could all stand together.” As a result of this bipartisan progress, Maryland has “had one of the greatest economic turnarounds in America” and “some of the best and most highly funded schools in America.” On top of this, Maryland has “made historic progress in bay restoration,” while implementing “clean air standards which are stronger than 48 other states and nearly twice as strong as the Paris Accord recommendations.”
While Washington fails to act on rebuilding America’s crippling infrastructure, Governor Hogan has invested record funding into transit, begun construction on “the largest P3 transit project in North America,” negotiated a solution to save the Metro system, advanced a regional interstate traffic plan to address traffic, and crafted “a deal to finally move forward with the Howard Street Tunnel…[to] dramatically increase production at the Port of Baltimore.” As he delivers results in Maryland, Governor Hogan is “leading a national initiative focused on rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure” as Chairman of the National Governors Association.
While Americans express alarm at government corruption and ethics, Governor Hogan is fighting “to strengthen and toughen state ethics laws…and to bring further transparency and accountability to Annapolis.”
And while partisan gerrymandering dampens trust in our political process, Governor Hogan has continued to advocate for nonpartisan redistricting reform “to strike a win for Democracy, fairness, and decency.”
With an overwhelming majority of Marylanders “pleased” with this bipartisan progress, it’s clear that “the politics that have divided our nation” need not be inevitable.
Watch Governor Hogan’s full 2020 State of State address here.