Candidates and Climate Change and the Environment — A Guide to the Maryland Primary

Jan Plotczyk • June 7, 2022


Common Sense for the Eastern Shore is reporting the statements of the candidates for governor and lieutenant governor of Maryland, and for representative for the First Congressional District, which includes all of the Eastern Shore. Taken from the candidates’ websites, here are excerpts outlining their positions on climate change and the environment. Links to the websites are provided for readers who want to explore the candidates’ full statements.

 

The primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, July 19. Only residents who have registered their political party preference are eligible to vote, and they may only vote for their party’s candidates. Thus Democrats may only vote for Democratic candidates, and Republicans only for Republican candidates.

 

Governor/Lieutenant Governor

 

In a nutshell, Republican gubernatorial candidates do not, as a group, enumerate climate change and environmental issues as a priority. Most of the Democratic candidates, on the other hand, have plans and positions for addressing climate change and preserving the environment.

 

According to a recent poll conducted by Food & Water Action and Friends of the Earth Action, most Democratic candidates are in favor of hastening the transition away from fossil fuels in the state, including ending all new development of fossil fuel infrastructure. Of the Republican candidates, only Robin Ficker responded to the poll, saying he would only support discontinuing fossil fuel infrastructure development “if alternatives are available.”

 

Dan Cox + Gordana Schifanelli — Republican

www.dancoxforgovernor.com

Dan Cox, an extremist, ultra-right wing candidate, does not have a stated position on climate change or the environment on this website. He is endorsed by Donald Trump.

 

Robin Ficker + LeRoy F. Yegge, Jr. — Republican

www.cutmdsalestax2cents.com

Robin Ficker’s website reveals nothing about what the candidate’s position is on environmental matters or climate change.

 

Kelly Schulz + Jeff Woolford — Republican

www.kellyschulzforgovernor.com

Kelly Schulz does not address climate change or environmental protection on her candidate website. Instead, she lists only these three issues: supporting the police so people feel safe; making the schools accountable to parents, including individual decision-making on masks and vaccines; and, most of all, cutting taxes. She is endorsed by Gov. Larry Hogan, and served as Secretary of Labor and Commerce in his administration.

 

Joe Werner + Minh Thanh Luong — Republican

www.wernerformaryland.com

Joe Werner’s major issues do not include anything connected with the environment or climate change.

 

Rushern Baker III + Nancy Navarro — Democrat

www.rushernbaker.com

Rushern Baker’s website acknowledges that climate change is an emergency and dealing with it should not be put off. His plan for addressing climate change includes:

  • 100% renewable energy by 2030
  • Supporting the Environmental Human Rights Amendment to protect communities that are disproportionately harmed by the effects of climate change.

 

Jon Baron + Natalie Williams — Democrat

www.jonbaron.com

Jon Baron feels we need urgent action to fight the climate crisis. If he is elected governor, he plans to:

  • Join the new Transportation and Climate Initiative program, to lower emissions through a cap-and-trade approach;
  • Ensure that low-income and rural communities are not adversely affected by climate policies;
  • Set ambitious carbon emissions standards for government buildings and transportation vehicles;
  • Provide seed funding to early-stage green tech start-ups to help make Maryland a leader in green technology development;
  • Promote sustainable investment through Environmental Impact Bonds, to help local governments fund green infrastructure and environmental resilience projects.

 

Peter Franchot + Monique Anderson-Walker — Democrat

www.franchot.com

Peter Franchot pledges to address the environment and climate change by:

  • Making Maryland the first net zero state in the U.S. and a net supplier of renewable energy;
  • Finally guaranteeing a healthy future for the Chesapeake Bay, by adding a billion adult oysters to the watershed; creating an international scientific competition for innovative, affordable solutions to solve the problems of pollution in the Bay; addressing stormwater runoff; strengthening state smart growth regulations; and preserving Maryland’s tree canopy.

 

Douglas F. Gansler + Candace Hollingsworth — Democrat

www.ganslerformaryland.com

Doug Gansler’s Green Maryland Plan will invest in and incentivize renewable energy development, preserve Maryland’s green spaces, ensure a just transition in clean energy standards for Maryland’s public transportation, and break down environmental inequities. Among other things, he would:

  • Impose a five-year, statewide moratorium on new residential, commercial, and industrial development located within the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area;
  • Significantly strengthen the standards for adequate wastewater treatment plants and increase the Maryland Department of the Environment’s inspection and compliance capabilities;
  • Provide state technical and funding support for cities and towns to establish clean energy “microgrids” that will provide renewable energy and make smaller communities more economically viable;
  • Work with our neighboring states toward the creation of an independent Conowingo Dam Authority, which would have the ability to implement policies to prevent sediment, harmful nutrients, and dangerous debris from reaching the Chesapeake Bay.

 

Ralph W. Jaffe + Mark Greben — Democrat

www.fedupwithcrookedpolitics.com

There are no obvious policies addressing climate change or the environment on Jaffe’s campaign website.

 

Ashwani Jain + LaTrece Hawkins Lytes — Democrat

www.jainforgovernor.com

In order to protect the Bay, Jain would:

  • Increase the frequency of poultry farm inspections
  • Limit the use of poultry manure
  • Invest in more stormwater retention systems
  • Undertake oyster restoration
  • Set stricter safe drinking water standards and testing for private wells

In order to address climate change, Jain would:

  • Invest in clean and renewable energy
  • Increase the fossil fuel fee
  • Focus on climate justice

 

John King + Michelle Daugherty Siri — Democrat

www.johnkingforGovernor.com

Jon King has detailed plans for:

  • Achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035
  • Providing good green jobs in the new economy
  • Building adaptable and resilient communities
  • Protecting and restoring the Bay
  • Ensuring climate and environmental justice

 

Wes Moore + Aruna Miller — Democrat

www.wesmoore.com

Wes Moore will set aggressive clean energy and emissions reductions standards, partner with local leaders to combat the effects of climate change, and build a more resilient Maryland. This includes:

  • Prioritizing environmental justice
  • Achieving 100% clean energy by 2035
  • Reducing 60% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030
  • Preserving the Chesapeake Bay
  • Combating sea level rise and recurrent flooding

 

Tom Perez + Shannon Sneed — Democrat

www.tomperez.com

Tom Perez calls climate change the urgent threat facing our planet. He has plans to:

  • Cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030
  • Achieve 100% carbon-free energy by 2035
  • Divest state pension fund from fossil fuels
  • Protect our most-at-risk communities
  • Help localities find the resources to maintain and expand existing wastewater treatment facilities
  • Hold other Chesapeake watershed states accountable for their actions
  • Work collaboratively with Maryland’s agricultural, fishery, and environmental communities on issues affecting the health of the Bay.

 

Jerome M. Segal + Justinian M. Dispenza — Democrat

www.segalforgovernor.org

Jerome Segal’s website does not outline plans for addressing climate change or protecting the environment.

 

Congress 1st District

 

Andrew P. Harris — Republican — incumbent

www.andyharris.com

Harris’s campaign website makes no mention of climate change or protecting the environment as important issues. His congressional website claims that the Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure that must be preserved, but makes no mention of climate change at all.

 

Harris had a 0% rating from the League of Conservation Voters in 2019, 2020, and 2021, during which time he cast 73 anti-environment votes and 0 pro-environment votes. In the last 11 years, he has cast 340 anti-environment votes, but only nine pro-environment votes, for a 3% lifetime rating by LCV.

 

According to a recent Washington Post article, the House GOP plans to unveil a climate plan — if they gain control over the House in the midterm elections. It is said that this climate plan will include boosting domestic fossil fuel production and increasing exports of liquefied natural gas; it is unclear whether this plan will reduce carbon emissions or, instead, deflect political blame for addressing climate change. If he wins in November, Harris might have to take a stand on climate change.

 

R. David Harden — Democrat

Website www.hardenforcongress.com

On his campaign website, Dave Harden acknowledges that climate change is real but sets out no plans for addressing it. He says that the bay can be protected through investing in alternative and renewable energy sources and investing in a Chesapeake Bay economy to create more jobs for watermen, farmers, brewers, and small businesses.

 

Heather R. Mizeur — Democrat

Website www.heathermizeur.com

Heather Mizeur presents Agri-Climate Solutions for the Eastern Shore that propose a collaborative approach to the pressing problems of climate change and protecting the environment, including detailed plans for:

  • Creating a national soil health initiative to address the problems of saltwater intrusion, reform key conservation programs, and leverage greater use of carbon farming which can boost soil health and store carbon in the soil, positively impact the climate crisis, and contribute to agricultural resilience;
  • Keeping crop insurance affordable and rewarding good climate practices by making fossil fuel companies pay for climate mitigation and determining crop insurance premiums by looking at good climate agricultural practices;
  • Transforming poultry litter into biofuel and potting soil.

 

 

Jan Plotczyk spent 25 years as a survey and education statistician with the federal government, at the Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. She retired to Rock Hall.

 

Common Sense for the Eastern Shore

Ocean City Restaurant Owners Who Backed Trump Now Struggle with Visa Crackdown

By CSES Staff • October 1, 2025
Heavily dependent on international students working under the J-1 visa program, Ocean City’s seasonal restaurants face a new difficulty after federal policy changes under the Trump administration. Each summer, roughly 3,300 J-1 visa holders arrive in Ocean City to help fill more than 12,000 seasonal jobs, according to the Maryland Restaurant Association. Many of these restaurant workers handle everything from cooking to serving customers. The U.S. State Department identifies Ocean City as the nation’s top destination for summer work travel exchange visitors. This year, the program was paused and later reinstated with new restrictions and federal investigations, which disrupted hiring and complicated staffing for the 2025 season. Nearly 60% of Worcester County voters supported Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Now, however, restaurant owners who backed Trump are confronted with the consequences of his administration’s visa policies, which threaten the flow of international workers upon which they rely. The disruption has led to worker shortages, operational difficulties, and uncertainty about future seasons. Restaurants that depend on J-1 students to meet demand during peak tourist months are preparing for further complications as federal reviews of visa programs continue. Local economic leaders warn that without these workers, Ocean City’s seasonal businesses could struggle to stay afloat. For restaurant owners and community members who overwhelmingly supported Trump, the new reality has raised questions about the resort town’s current workforce model under tighter immigration policies.

Poverty in MD-01 Will Increase with GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill

By Jan Plotczyk • October 1, 2025
Poverty in Maryland’s First Congressional District will increase because of the GOP’s budget reconciliation bill— the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — that was narrowly passed in July. Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R-MD01) voted to pass that wildly unpopular bill and to kick our neighbors off SNAP and Medicaid to give tax cuts to billionaires. That was a cruel choice. More of his constituents will be living in poverty because of the OBBBA’s cuts to programs that support people’s basic needs. Poverty Rates in Maryland’s First Congressional District The official poverty rate for MD-01 has hovered between 8.5% and 9.8% for the last seven years. (Poverty rates for congressional districts were not calculated for 2020 due to the pandemic.) In 2024, 72,800 of our neighbors were living in poverty.

Don’t be Fooled! OBBBA is Not a Tax Cut for Working Families!

By Jan Plotczyk • October 1, 2025
President Trump has recently realized — apparently — that his One Big Beautiful Bill Act is not universally beloved by the American people. Aside from GOP lawmakers, billionaires, and MAGA faithful, the measure has never enjoyed the support of anyone. Polling conducted up to the bill’s passage, and analyzed by G. Elliott Morris , showed that On average across pollsters and methods, 31% of Americans support the One Big Beautiful Bill, while 54% oppose it. That net rating of -23 is, to put it mildly, abysmal… [H]aving a majority against you with just a third in support is terrible! And the bill has not become any more popular since its passage. But instead of fixing the parts of the bill that average people detest — the cuts to social programs for families, the extended tax cuts for billionaires — Trump has decided to just rebrand the bill as something he thinks they’ll love. And having decided that a public relations fix is all that’s needed, the White House has told GOP legislators that the bill shall now be known as the Working Families Tax Cut Bill. What tax cuts for working Americans are in the bill? Tax credits. The bill includes modest increases in the Child Tax Credit and Child and Dependent Care Credit. The standard tax deduction. The bill increases the standard tax deduction for individuals by $750 and for couples by $1,500. The no-tax-on-tips provision. Trump touts this as a true working-class tax cut. But it does not benefit many because only 3% of workers earn tips, and one-third of those earn too little to pay federal taxes. The no-tax-on-overtime-pay provision. This sounds good, but the no-tax applies only to the “half” portion of time-and-a-half pay. If a worker earns $20/hour regular pay and $30/hour overtime pay, the first $20/hour of overtime pay is taxed; only the $10/hour of premium pay is not taxed. It is estimated that for the bottom 40% of workers by income, this will equate to a tax savings of $10/year. Those meager offerings cannot obscure the fact that the bill gives 45% of the tax cuts to the wealthy ; only 1% of the tax cuts go to the lowest fifth of wage earners. To pay for those tax cuts for the wealthy, the bill contains $1.4 trillion in benefits cuts that will affect lower income Americans: many millions will lose health insurance coverage, food assistance, and federal student financial aid. Any small tax benefit that accrues to lower income Americans from the OBBBA is more than offset by benefit losses and Trump’s new tariffs (a defacto sales tax). The Yale Budget Lab found that when one combines the effects of Trump’s tariffs and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, 90% of American families will end up worse off. Seventy per cent of households will face losses ranging from $780 to $2,570 each year. So, don’t be conned. Recognize Trump’s gaslighting for what it is, a desperate attempt to mislead and deceive the American people. Jan Plotczyk spent 25 years as a survey and education statistician with the federal government, at the Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. She retired to Rock Hall.

Wicomico County Councilman Josh Hasting launches bid for House of Delegates in District 38B

By CSES Staff • October 1, 2025
Before a crowd at Burnish Brewing Company, Wicomico County Councilman Josh Hastings, a Democrat, launched his campaign for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 38B, setting up what is expected to be one of the most competitive races in the state in 2026. The seat is held by GOP Del. Barry Glassman, who was appointed after former Del. Carl Anderton accepted a position in the Wes Moore administration. Although Glassman begins the campaign with more than $30,000 in campaign funds and will run as the incumbent, the district — with a +7 advantage for Democrats — is considered a top pickup opportunity for House Democrats in Annapolis. Having grown up on Maryland’s first certified organic poultry farm in Mardela Springs, Hastings has built a career at the intersection of agriculture, environmental sustainability, and land use. Before gaining elected office, he spent 15 years in state and local policy and nonprofit leadership positions, including as executive director of Forever Maryland, a statewide nonprofit focused on conserving farms, forests, parks, and critical habitats. Since joining the County Council, Hastings has established himself as a productive legislator, and is credited with: Converting Pirate’s Wharf into a public park. Securing $200 million in county budget commitments for Salisbury firefighters. Advancing a countywide water and sewer master plan. Ensuring consistent above-maintenance-of-effort funding for Wicomico public schools. Championing major upgrades to parks and recreation facilities. He has also worked to: Expand pickleball opportunities at Harmon Field Park. Secure a new middle and high school in Mardela Springs. Address invasive species management. Public safety and quality of life have been recurring themes in his tenure, with Hastings backing investments in first responders and cleaner, healthier communities. Colleagues often note his ability to foster civil, thoughtful debate on complex issues. Hastings is no stranger to Annapolis. Earlier in his career, he served as an aide to Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee Chair Joan Carter Conway, where he wrote and helped to pass legislation reduce concussions in youth sports. On the campaign trail, Hastings emphasizes a platform focused on opportunity, affordability, and quality of life on the Shore. His priorities include: Creating more well-paying jobs that build on the region’s strengths while opening doors in growing industries Strengthening public schools with smaller class sizes and stronger pathways from arts to trades to higher education Tackling the housing shortage with more options for residents of all ages and abilities He also pledges to lower the cost of living by advocating for fair wages and more affordable essentials, such as food, energy, and housing. Hastings emphasizes community health and safety as central to his vision, with a focus on increasing access to health care, broadband, transportation, and recreational spaces. His platform stresses the need to protect the Shore’s clean water and healthy land while supporting farmers and a resource-based economy. At the heart of his message is a call for fairness and opportunity, and a government that works for everyday people rather than the few. His announcement also came with personal news: Hastings and his wife Alyssa are expecting their first child in April. With deep local roots, a track record of legislative success, and a competitive district in play, Hastings’ campaign launch signals that Democrats view District 38B as a pivotal race in the 2026 election cycle.

Gov. Wes Moore and Housing Sec. Jacob Day Celebrate Smith Island’s New High-Speed Internet

By CSES Staff • October 1, 2025
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Housing and Community Development Sec. Jacob Day were on Smith Island Sept. 24 to mark completion of an infrastructure milestone, the island’s first connection to high-speed internet. Funded by state grants, the $2 million broadband project was completed two months ahead of schedule, and will provide reliable internet access to residents, businesses, and schools on the island, where less than full connectivity has been a long-standing problem. Moore is the first governor to visit Smith Island since 1999, underscoring the administration’s focus on reaching often-overlooked communities. Residents welcomed the infrastructure improvement, noting that high-speed internet can enhance education, healthcare access, small business growth, and overall quality of life. Moore, a Democrat, has made broadband access a central part of his infrastructure agenda, with similar projects underway in other rural parts of the state. For Smith Island, this connection represents a long-awaited lifeline to the wider world, and a signal that Maryland’s leaders are paying attention.

Wicomico Councilman James Winn’s Religious Remarks Spark Controversy at Sept. 16 Meeting

By CSES Staff • October 1, 2025
Wicomico County Councilman James Winn (R-At Large) drew criticism at the Sept. 16 council meeting because of his extended religious rant that included pulling out a Bible and declaring he would “pray for non-Christians” in the wake of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s shooting death. During the meeting’s public remarks portion, Winn shifted from county business to a sermon-like address. He held up a Bible, quoted passages, and suggested that residents who do not identify as Christians need his prayers and guidance. Winn tied his comments to the recent death of Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, framing it as a moment for Wicomico residents to recommit to Christian values. Several attendees called the outburst inappropriate for a public governmental meeting, noting that Winn blurred the line between his own religious faith and his role as an elected official. Critics argued the comments excluded non-Christian residents and showed a lack of respect for the county’s religious diversity. The council meeting continued after Winn’s remarks. Still, the episode has drawn sharp reactions on social media, with some residents calling the behavior “embarrassing” and “unbecoming of an elected leader.” Others are defending Winn, saying he was exercising his free speech and sharing a message of faith in a difficult moment. Council leadership did not formally intercede during the meeting. However, community members are suggesting that the county ought to adopt clear standards to prevent religious proselytizing during official sessions. The controversy arises as Wicomico County confronts pressing local issues, including land use debates and the fallout from its immigration enforcement partnership with ICE. For some residents, Winn’s comments were perceived as a distraction from the county's real work of governance.
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