Bernie Sanders, State Dems Energize Ben Jealous Supporters

BETHESDA, MD — With one week left until Election Day, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders rallied alongside Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous Tuesday night to energize voters and drive them to the polls. The Vermont senator joined the former NAACP president inside a historic — and packed — Bethesda theater.

Tuesday's event drew hundreds of supporters and was reminiscent of rallies held for then-candidate Barack Obama in 2008. Several times during the night, rally-goers launched into "yes we can" chants, which was Barack Obama’s presidential campaign slogan.

During the event, Sen. Sanders underlined the importance of voting, saying if Marylanders didn't turn up to vote, incumbent Republican Gov. Larry Hogan will win a second term.

"Let us be honest and clear. If there is a low voter turnout this election in Maryland, Larry Hogan will be re-elected," Sen. Sanders said. "Our job is not to have a low voter turnout. Our job is to have the highest voter turnout in a midterm election in the history of Maryland."

Jealous' opponent, Gov. Hogan, was also at an event in Montgomery County on Tuesday. Earlier that day, Gov. Hogan spoke at the Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame luncheon at The Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville.

Even in a state where Democrats have a two-to-one advantage over Republicans, Gov. Hogan retains a double-digit lead over Jealous in the polls. An October Gonzales poll found Hogan to be ahead by 18 points. A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll, showed Hogan with a 20-point advantage.

"I taught everyone in the primary one lesson: Polls don't vote," Jealous said.

Much like Sen. Sanders, Jealous stands for Medicare-for-all, tuition-free college, and other progressive policies. During the event, Jealous railed against Hogan for a number of issues, including the opioid crisis and Maryland's drop in the national ranking of school systems.

"I'm running against [Hogan's] record," Jealous said. "What happened on his watch? Everything that was supposed to go up went down. Everything that was supposed to go down went up."

Tuesday night's event brought some of the top Democrats together to support Jealous. Among those who spoke at the rally were former Gov. Martin O'Malley, U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, state Attorney General Brian Frosh, and Montgomery County Executive candidate Marc Elrich. Several speakers compared Gov. Hogan to President Donald Trump, despite the governor's numerous attempts to distance himself from the president.

"Governor Hogan is trying to distance himself from Trump," Elrich said. "What is he measuring the distance that he could avoid the stain and still be considered a Republican? This is not what we need. We don't need somebody who's going to distance themselves from Trump. We need somebody who is going to stand up to Trump."

Former Gov. O'Malley, Hogan's predecessor, said the Republican governor supported Trump's agenda by deploying National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and by staying silent on Brett Kavanaugh — who was accused of sexual misconduct.

"Is it enough to say, 'Oh, I'm not as bad as Trump?' Is that the new standard for ethics in Maryland?" O'Malley asked the crowd.

Early voters in Montgomery County have turned up in droves to the polls. According to the Maryland Board of Elections, more than 77,020 voters have cast their ballot. Early voting ends Thursday, Nov. 1.

Photo by Alessia Grunberger/Patch

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