by Tori Newby ‘22

Unusual for a Republican governor in a largely Democratic state, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has received widespread bipartisan support throughout his past six years in office, including for his actions regarding the coronavirus pandemic. As of mid-October, Hogan’s approval rating for his response to the pandemic was 82 percent, according to the Baltimore Sun, most likely due to his early action this past spring when President Trump failed to acknowledge the crisis.

Quickly, Hogan formed a team of epidemiologists and doctors, shut down the Baltimore cruise port, closed schools for two weeks, prohibited gatherings of over 250 people, and imposed other measures to slow the spread of the virus. However, Hogan’s response to the pandemic over the last eight months as well as other policies he has enacted–or refused to enact–throughout his six years as governor does not portray him as the hero many Marylanders believe him to be.

During the first wave of the coronavirus, Trump left states on their own to handle the virus and secure testing, earning public criticism from Hogan. First Lady Yumi Hogan helped the governor communicate and negotiate with South Korea to purchase $9 million worth of coronavirus tests for Maryland, and 500,000 LabGenomics testing kits arrived in an airplane on April 18th. But what actually happened with those tests?

At a news conference later in April, Hogan acknowledged that those testing kits did not have all of the necessary pieces for complete coronavirus testing, such as nasal swabs. An additional $2.5 million was spent to upgrade the tests: In July, Hogan announced that 400,000 of the original tests from South Korea were swapped out for an American company, but where the tests went and why is still unclear. The tests sent to the University of Maryland lab in Baltimore conducted many false positive results, so the lab discontinued the use of the South Korean tests and instead replaced them with those from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

“It was not transparent from the very beginning — the cost of it, that they were incomplete, that they couldn’t be used for months, then we were told they were going to be put aside for later. Now ‘later’ is here and we find that the university lab that had been lauded as the facility that was going to be using them now says there are problems,” said Sen. Paul Pinsky (D), chairman of the Maryland Senate’s health committee. 

In addition to the issues with testing, Hogan irresponsibly announced that schools could officially open on August 28, within days of the start of school for most counties that committed to virtual learning weeks prior. His ignorance in regards to teacher workloads and realistic obstacles to safety measures proves that schools are not equipped to reopen just yet, especially if Hogan expects the counties to figure it out without help from the state. 

On November 10, Hogan reimposed some restrictions on businesses while coronavirus cases break daily records. Indoor dining capacity has reduced from 75 percent to 50 percent, and a new health advisory recommends a 25 person limit on indoor gatherings. However, for many Marylanders, these restrictions aren’t enough to take control of the pandemic. County Executive Marc Elrich has instated stricter regulations than the state, reducing indoor dining capacity to 25 percent, as well as imposing an executive order to limit gatherings to 25 people, rather than just recommending it as Hogan has done.

Hogan does deserve credit for initially standing up to President Trump, however, Hogan is no profile in courage when it comes to being a Republican willing to alienate Trump supporters when he wants their vote in the future. On October 16, Hogan told The Washington Post that he wrote in the name of the late President Ronald Reagan rather than voting for either Trump or Biden. Because Hogan is term-limited and cannot again run for governor, he no longer needs bipartisan support in Maryland. There is speculation that he may run for president in 2024, and he needs the support of Republicans nationally, which surely was a motivation for not voting for Democrat Joe Biden.

Hogan has also ignored Maryland’s environmental needs as the Chesapeake Bay succumbs to overfishing and pollution. His long record of anti-environmental policy includes a veto (which the state legislature overrode) for an oyster sanctuary and restoration bill in the spring of 2019. This law aims to protect and revive oyster habitats, attributing to the Bay’s health and helping to sustain fisherman jobs. In 2017, Hogan canceled former Gov. Martin O’Malley’s zero-waste plan, which was enacted to create eco-friendly jobs and business opportunities while decreasing the amount of waste in landfills, because the plan put an “unnecessary” burden on local governments. Hogan also neglected to sign a styrofoam ban as well as the Clean Energy Jobs Act, displaying his complacency when it comes to the dire situation of our environment.