Mason for the Eastern Shore: First Congressional District Candidate Speaks on the Issues, Part 2
Peter Heck and Jane Jewell • October 13, 2020
Mia Mason, the Democratic candidate for the Maryland District 1 seat in Congress, spoke to
Common Sense for the Eastern Shore in a telephone interview, Sept. 14. The 40-minute interview covered a wide range of subjects. This is the second of two articles
summarizing the interview, which we hope will give our readers a better picture of the candidate we have endorsed in the upcoming election.
As a member of Congress, Mia Mason would need to be cognizant of national issues in addition to those that specifically affect constituents on the Eastern Shore. Asked about national issues, she said, “There are about five of them. Our jobs and our economy; our veterans’ healthcare right now, because they also were at a crunch for a budget cut; protecting our Social Security and extending our Medicare to Medicare for All; and protecting our voter rights, because we’ve seen our president attack our voters. We’re on top of each of our boards of elections, to make sure that we have an opportunity for our communities to vote, for early voting and of course a safe place for them to put their ballots in for the entire month of October.”
Education in the covid-19 era was the last issue she cited as affecting the entire nation. “Schools face a loss of funds if they don’t do in-person schooling, and that’s just wrong. Our teachers are completely engaged and immersed in what they’re doing virtually, and they have to be able to continue that from a safe distance,” she said, noting that the technology for distance learning has not been equally available, especially in rural areas and poorer districts. “We need to be sure that we provide that opportunity to get them safely back into the schools, because a lot of the time the kids are sent back into the school system with covid, and that is causing an alarming rate of infection throughout our entire nation. Children between the ages of 10 and 18 years old are at double the risk just by getting on the bus to school.”
Asked her first priority once she is seated in the House, Mason said, “I think the foremost thing that we have to worry about out of the 500-plus bills that we have to get reissued, is to make sure that our John Lewis Voting Rights Act gets passed, and continue advocating for that bill.” She supports Medicare for All, “so we can make sure that our healthcare is supportable on a price point per year for the entire family.” She noted, “As a disabled veteran, I know that I have healthcare. I understand that my family already has healthcare. So I am not concerned about my healthcare. I’m trying to make sure that others have healthcare.”
Much of the work of a representative takes place in committees. Mason has given some thought to which congressional committees she would like to serve on, although she is aware that new members don’t always have a choice. “I have a lot of military experience, so that’d fit me for the armed services committee, the intelligence committee, the veterans’ affairs committee, and of course, the natural resources committee. Because our shores really need a lot of protection, we can work with a lot of those agencies, armed forces and of course the veterans’ affairs to make sure that our natural resources are protected.”
Running a political campaign in the middle of a pandemic presents special challenges, and Mason has found her own way to respond to it. “It was like day and night for our campaign,” she said. “I was ready to turn on the lights in my studio, and we began to operate completely digitally. We did weekly town halls virtually. Basically, we had to teach ourselves how to live-stream whole digital fundraising events, and go the old-school way of doing things: calling people, mailing them. And this is where our postcard groups have completely helped us — so we can make sure people understand the new dates and times for early voting, when they can register to vote, and of course, where they can go vote. So this is super-important in this pandemic age, to make sure that we still reach our communities and help our Democratic clubs open up their headquarters for those who still may want to come in and donate and pick up our signs and our materials and to help us send out our postcards and mail.”
Summing up, Mason said, “I want our voters to understand that I come here to learn, that I’m a fighter. I’ve learned how to adapt myself to win battles. So when I’m in Congress, just understand that I won’t stop that fight ‘til I’m convinced that I’ve made my constituents’ lives better by actually providing their story on the House floor, to represent them properly. I know that our communities, our neighborhoods, are going to start revitalization projects here in 2021, and we need to make sure that we’re taking care of our communities for the next decade, and this is why I want them to understand that this is their land, that this is their legacy, and this is their vote.”
Unseating an incumbent Representative is never easy, but Mia Mason has a clear vision of what she has to offer First District voters. Common Sense for the Eastern Shore believes that she deserves their votes.
Mia Mason’s website is at https://miadmason.us/
Peter Heck is a Chestertown-based writer and editor, who spent 10 years at the Kent County News and three more with the Chestertown Spy. He is the author of 10 novels and co-author of four plays, a book reviewer for Asimov’s and Kirkus Reviews, and an incorrigible guitarist.
Jane Jewell is a writer, editor, photographer, and teacher. She has worked in news, publishing, and as the director of a national writer's group. She lives in Chestertown with her husband Peter Heck, a ginger cat named Riley, and a lot of books.
Common Sense for the Eastern Shore
Right now, Congress is working on a fast-track bill that would make historic cuts to basic needs programs in order to finance another round of tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations.
The House Agriculture Committee recently voted, along party lines, to advance legislation that would cut as much as $300 million from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, helping more than 41 million people in the U.S. pay for food. With potential cuts this large, it helps to know who benefits from this program in Maryland, and who would lose this assistance. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities compiled data on SNAP beneficiaries by congressional district, cited below, and produced the Maryland state datasheet , shown below. In Maryland, in 2023-24, 1 in 9 people lived in a household with SNAP benefits. In Maryland’s First Congressional District, in 2023-24: Almost 34,000 households used SNAP benefits. Of those households, 43% had at least one senior (over age 60). 29% of SNAP recipients were people of color. 15% were Black, non-Hispanic, higher than 11.8% nationally. 6% were Hispanic (19.4% nationally). There were 24,700 total veterans (ages 18-64). Of those, 2,200 lived in households that used SNAP benefits (9%). The CBPP SNAP datasheet for Maryland is below. See data from all the states and download factsheets here.
Apparently, some people think that the GOP’s “big beautiful bill” is a foregone conclusion, and that the struggle over the budget and Trump’s agenda is over and done. Not true. On Sunday night, the bill — given the alternate name “Big Bad Bullsh*t Bill” by the Democratic Women’s Caucus — was voted out of the House Budget Committee. The GOP plan is to pass this legislation in the House before Memorial Day. But that’s not the end of it. As Jessica Craven explained in her Chop Wood Carry Water column: “Remember, we have at least six weeks left in this process. The bill has to: Pass the House, Then head to the Senate where it will likely be rewritten almost completely, Then be passed there, Then be brought back to the House for reconciliation, And then, if the House changes that version at all, Go back to the Senate for another vote.” She adds, “Every step of that process is a place for us to kill it.” The bill is over a thousand pages long, and the American people will not get a chance to read it until it has passed the House. But, thanks to 5Calls , we know it includes:
Let's talk about our Eastern Shore Delegation, the representatives who are supposed to fight for our nine Shore counties in Annapolis, and what they actually got up to this session.
For the first time in recent memory, Virginia Democrats have candidates running in all 100 House of Delegates districts — a milestone party leaders and grassroots organizers say reflects rising momentum as President Donald Trump’s second term continues to galvanize opposition.
The 447th legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly adjourned on April 8. This End of Session Report highlights the work Shore Progress has done to fight for working families and bring real results home to the Shore. Over the 90-day session, lawmakers debated 1,901 bills and passed 878 into law. Shore Progress and members supported legislation that delivers for the Eastern Shore, protecting our environment, expanding access to housing and healthcare, strengthening workers’ rights, and more. Shore Progress Supported Legislation By The Numbers: Over 60 pieces of our backed legislation were passed. Another 15 passed in one Chamber but not the other. Legislation details are below, past the budget section. The 2026 Maryland State Budget How We Got Here: Maryland’s budget problems didn’t start overnight. They began under Governor Larry Hogan. Governor Hogan expanded the state budget yearly but blocked the legislature from moving money around or making common-sense changes. Instead of fixing the structural issues, Hogan used federal covid relief funds to hide the cracks and drained our state’s savings from $5.5 billion to $2.3 billion to boost his image before leaving office. How Trump/Musk Made It Worse: Maryland is facing a new fiscal crisis driven by the Trump–Musk administration, whose trade wars, tariff policies, and deep federal cuts have hit us harder than most, costing the state over 30,000 jobs, shuttering offices, and erasing promised investments. A University of Maryland study estimates Trump’s tariffs alone could cost us $2 billion, and those federal cuts have already added $300 million to our budget deficit. Covid aid gave us a short-term boost and even created a fake surplus under Hogan, but that money is gone, while housing, healthcare, and college prices keep rising. The Trump–Musk White House is only making things worse by slashing funding, gutting services, and eliminating research that Marylanders rely on. How The State Budget Fixes These Issues: This year, Maryland faced a $3 billion budget gap, and the General Assembly fixed it with a smart mix of cuts and fair new revenue, while protecting working families, schools, and health care. The 2025 Budget cuts $1.9 billion ($400 million less than last year) without gutting services people rely on. The General Assembly raised $1.2 billion in fair new revenue, mostly from the wealthiest Marylanders. The Budget ended with a $350 million surplus, plus $2.4 billion saved in the Rainy Day Fund (more than 9% of general fund revenue), which came in $7 million above what the Spending Affordability Committee called for. The budget protects funding for our schools, health care, transit, and public workers. The budget delivers real wins: $800 million more annually for transit and infrastructure, plus $500 million for long-term transportation needs. It invests $9.7 billion in public schools and boosts local education aid by $572.5 million, a 7% increase. If current revenue trends hold, no new taxes will be needed next session. Even better, 94% of Marylanders will see a tax cut or no change, while only the wealthiest 5% will finally pay their fair share. The tax system is smarter now. We’re: Taxing IT and data services like Texas and D.C. do; Raising taxes on cannabis and sports betting, not groceries or medicine; and Letting counties adjust income taxes. The budget also restores critical funding: $122 million for teacher planning $15 million for cancer research $11 million for crime victims $7 million for local business zones, and Continued support for public TV, the arts, and BCCC The budget invests in People with disabilities, with $181 million in services Growing private-sector jobs with $139 million in funding, including $27.5 million for quantum tech, $16 million for the Sunny Day Fund, and $10 million for infrastructure loans. Health care is protected for 1.5 million Marylanders, with $15.6 billion for Medicaid and higher provider pay. Public safety is getting a boost too, with $60 million for victim services, $5.5 million for juvenile services, and $5 million for parole and probation staffing. This budget also tackles climate change with $100 million for clean energy and solar projects, and $200 million in potential ratepayer relief. Public workers get a well-deserved raise, with $200 million in salary increases, including a 1% COLA and ~2.5% raises for union workers. The ultra-wealthy will finally chip in to pay for it: People earning over $750,000 will pay more, Millionaires will pay 6.5%, and Capital gains over $350,000 get a 2% surcharge. Deductions are capped for high earners, but working families can still deduct student loans, medical debt, and donations. This budget is bold, fair, and built to last. That’s why Shore Progress proudly supports it. Click on the arrows below for details in each section.
