Hogan would not vote to ban abortions
The politically motivated opinion piece penned by Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller was right out of the Democrat Handbook of creating fear through the use of lies and misinformation (Abortion rights won’t be safe with Hogan in the Senate, Aug. 25). In her misleading and factually incorrect diatribe, she seeks to frame Larry Hogan as a supporter of abortion bans. That claim is absolutely and patently false.
Miller implies that Governor Hogan’s veto of abortion legislation was motivated by a plan to restrict access; however, a cursory review of facts shows that his motivation was to protect the health of women by ensuring that the procedures would only be performed by trained, licensed physicians, not less qualified practitioners. Hogan has repeatedly declared that he will not vote to ban abortions and that he will act in the best interest of Marylanders and not a political party.
The upcoming election has enormous implications for all of us as Marylanders and as Americans.
The Democratic Party’s hypocrisy in declaring that the opposition represents a threat to Democracy while they executed a silent political coup should be a wake-up call to do your own fact-checking. Hogan was a pro-Maryland governor who left the Moore-Miller administration a $5 billion surplus, which they squandered in months. And that, my fellow taxpayers, is a fact.
— Rob Scanlon, Eastport
Miller reminds us of Hogan’s record
Thank you to Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller for reminding us of Larry Hogan’s history on women’s reproductive rights refuting his current flip flop (Abortion rights won’t be safe with Hogan in the Senate, Aug. 25). Despite Hogan’s carefully cultivated moderate, Mr.-Nice-Guy facade, he is no moderate guy. However, Hogan is definitely a Project 2025 kind of guy. With his veto of the Blueprint for Excellence and contempt for teachers, why would he object to the dissolution of the Department of Education? Hogan vetoed background checks for the sale of rifles and shotguns despite a mass shooting in Annapolis.
Why would he oppose the Project 2025 plan to let the corporate gun lobby dictate policy on public safety? Hogan withheld funds for the Maryland Prescription Drug Affordability Board. Why would he protect us from the 2025 proposal to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act that has significant savings for enrollees in Medicare Part D? With his contempt for Maryland state employees, why would he prevent a partisan purging of the civil service? Hogan would like us to believe he is independent. Yet, he is running as a Republican. Try as he may to distance himself from Donald Trump, there is a lot of MAGA in Larry Hogan. I will not have him represent me in Washington.
— Patty Nicholls, Loch Hill
Dems falsify Hogan’s record on women’s rights
I continue to be saddened to see Democrats blatantly falsify Larry Hogan’s position on a woman’s right to choose (Abortion rights won’t be safe with Hogan in the Senate, Aug. 25).
I am a lifelong Democrat and former Democratic Party precinct chair and area coordinator, as well as a vocal champion of women’s rights who provided pro bono legal services to Planned Parenthood. As a state senator, I was always a champion for and frequent sponsor and floor leader of progressive legislation such as protecting access to the “morning after” pill, saving the Commission for Women and rights for same-sex partners. I remain a strong champion for those progressive values, and none of that contradicts my very strong support for Hogan in his bid to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate.
Hogan has committed to sponsoring the codification of Roe v. Wade, making a woman’s right to choose the law of the land, once again. Furthermore, Hogan is perhaps the only Republican in America who has opposed Donald Trump from the beginning on this issue and many others. Despite the pressure from his own party, he stood up to Trump again and again during COVID and sent in the Maryland National Guard to protect democracy on Jan. 6, 2021. That political courage is exactly what we need more of in Washington — now more than ever.
Especially with the concern for abortion rights and the fear of support for Trump’s far-right policies off the table, Democrats can feel very comfortable voting for Hogan for the Senate, just as we did for governor. As a matter of fact, those two concerns are great reasons to support him. Hogan has a proven track record protecting women’s reproductive rights and standing up to Trump, and he’ll improve our economic situation and provide the safety and security that we have seen eroding away.
Hogan proved himself to be a genuine, hardworking and honorable leader for eight years. Please do not allow lies about his positions on abortion and Trump to deny our wonderful state the tremendous benefits his leadership brings us.
— Rona E. Kramer, Silver Spring
The writer is a former state senator, the co-chair of Democrats for Hogan and a Montgomery County Democrat.