Gubernatorial Forum

FREDERICK, Maryland—Six Maryland gubernatorial candidates will participate in a moderated forum at Hood College on March 25. The forum will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. in Hodson Auditorium in Rosenstock Hall followed by a meet-and-greet with the candidates from 3 to 4 p.m.

Candidates Ben Jealous, Rich Madaleno, Jim Shea, Kevin Kamenetz, Krish Vignarajah and Alec Ross are participating. Jealous is a venture capitalist and former president of the NAACP. Madaleno is a longtime Maryland state senator. Shea is a Baltimore lawyer and former chair of the law firm Venable LLP. Kamenetz is the County Executive of Baltimore County. Vignarajah served as an executive policy director for Michelle Obama. Ross is a former executive staffer with the Obama White House and a New York Times best-selling author.

Hannah Christen, president of the Hood College Democrats in the Class of 2018, will moderate. She is a political science and global studies major, interning with Maryland’s District 8 Congressman Jamie Raskin.

“I am excited to bring these candidates to Hood College and to involve our college voters in the process of choosing the next governor of Maryland,” said Christen. “It is important that all eligible voters be informed of the choices and exercise their right to vote.”

Voter registration will be available at the event. Maryland law allows any resident who will be 18 by the time of the Nov. 6 general election to register to vote in the June 26 primary election.

“Western Maryland is an important bloc of voters for this election year,” said Mark Jafari, president of the United Democrats of Frederick. “Frederick, Hagerstown and Cumberland residents have issues that are unique to this region, and we are pleased that the Democratic candidates are courting the western Maryland vote.”

This forum is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. For tickets, visit www.hood.edu/forum-tickets. The public may submit questions for the candidates at www.hood.edu/forum-questions.

The forum is sponsored by the Hood College Democrats, the Frederick County Democrats, the United Democrats of Frederick, the Young Democrats of Frederick, the Women’s Democratic League of Frederick and the United for Maryland PAC.

The event is facilitated by the United for Maryland PAC, a coalition of roughly 30 grassroots organizations and many activists throughout Maryland that mobilized after the Women’s March in January 2017. United for Maryland is committed to educating the public about the Democratic gubernatorial candidates as well as the importance of voting in the 2018 midterm elections and electing a Democratic candidate as the next governor of Maryland. More information about the United for Maryland PAC is available at unitedformaryland.org.* 

*Authorized by Robert Stevens, treasurer of the United For Maryland PAC

For more information, contact Carin Robinson at robinsonc@hood.edu or 301-696-3719.

Hood College is a nonpartisan institution and does not endorse any candidate or political party. Hood College is a private, nonprofit institution of higher learning devoted to educating its students. A vital part of this educational experience is the free and respectful exchange of ideas in a variety of contexts, including the classroom, field experiences, conferences, forums, exhibits, and cultural and community events. In all arenas, Hood College seeks to foster open discussion, thoughtful debate and critical thinking.

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