EDlection 2018: Maryland Incumbent Gov. Larry Hogan Projected Winner, Will Help Lead State’s New Direction in Education

EDlection2018: This is one of several dozen races we’ve analyzed for the 2018 midterms that could go on to influence state or federal education policy. Get the latest headlines delivered straight to your inbox; sign up for The 74 Newsletter.

Incumbent Gov. Larry Hogan was projected to be the winner of Maryland’s gubernatorial race, according to NBC at 8:52 p.m., with 11 percent of precincts reporting. It’s a significant win for Republicans in a blue state where 60 percent of voters picked Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

Progressive Democratic challenger Ben Jealous, former head of the NAACP, was consistently behind in the polls by about 20 points.

The win marks the first time a Republican governor has been re-elected in Maryland in 60 years.

Larry Hogan is first Republican in more than 60 years to be re-elected governor of Maryland. https://t.co/fMPlhQf9Xp

— WBAL NewsRadio 1090 (@wbalradio) November 7, 2018

Hogan had campaigned on education issues like increasing college access for low-income students, supporting school choice options and implementing tough academic accountability measures.

The governor’s role in education is even more important in Maryland this year, thanks to the forthcoming Kirwan report, which recommends how the state can improve education, from teacher preparation to college and career readiness. The legislature commissioned the report, but it’s up to the governor to garner support to help implement it.

Hogan is the second most popular governor in the country with a 67 percent approval rating, but he has a history of being at-odds with Maryland’s blue legislature. As the state started to craft an accountability plan to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, the legislature signed a bill in 2017 that said the plan could not include school choice options as a solution for turning around failing schools. The act also limited the amount academic performance could count as an accountability measure.

Hogan, a supporter of choice and strict accountability measures, vetoed the bill, but the legislature overruled him and passed it into law. The legislature has also overruled several of his past vetoes, including a bill on school construction and another on relaxed teacher disciplinary policies.

But Hogan’s also proven to be more moderate than his Republican peers on certain education issues. He created a program for low-income students to attend community college for free and has said he wants to expand the program to enable these students to earn four-year degrees.

EDlection2018: This is one of several dozen races we’ve analyzed for the 2018 midterms that could go on to influence state or federal education policy. Get the latest headlines delivered straight to your inbox; sign up for The 74 Newsletter.

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