MD Voters Weigh In On Presidential Race, Abortion Referendum

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Noreen Kennedy wore a Trump 2024 shirt to cast her third-consecutive presidential vote for him.

“He protects our borders. He wants us to have our own energy [production domestically],” Kennedy said. “He’s got balls.”

Joe Rodriguez also voted for Trump. Patch caught up with Rodriguez while he admired a parked pro-Republican pickup truck.

A cutout of Trump’s head adorned both backseat window. The tailgate featured a drawing of Trump holding an automatic firearm standing in front of raining dollar bills and a military weapon emblazoned with his “You’re fired” catchphrase popularized on his TV show, “The Apprentice.” A bald eagle holding a mcahine gun flew in front of an American flag and the words “Defeat socialism” and “Deafeat Democrats.”

Rodriguez, who supported building the southern border wall, thinks Trump is the best candidate to handle immigration and the economy.

“Inflation [is] going on. Prices are going up. We’re suffering out here,” Rodriguez said.

Ralph Porras, an 84-year-old Army veteran, voted for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. The Democratic Porras supported Harris, not because he adores the current vice president, but because he distrusts Trump.

“I already know the kind of person he is,” Porras said of Trump. “There’s a lot of things he lies about.”

Shelby Fleming voted for the Democrat in every race. Fleming supported Harris because “she’s for the middle class. She wasn’t born rich.”

The 27-year-old Fleming hopes to soon buy her first home, so she applauded Harris’ plan for first-time buyers.

“First-time buyers get [$25,000]. That’s not a lot, but it’s more than past years,” Fleming said.

Senate Race

Former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) meets Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) in the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D).

Though Kennedy swooned over Trump, she was less bullish on Hogan. Kennedy begrudgingly voted for the “flimsy-flamsy” Hogan despite his frequent anti-Trump stances.

“I hope he grows a pair if he gets elected,” Kennedy said. “I don’t like that he doesn’t stand up for President Trump. He cares more about his reputation.”

Rodriguez similarly voted for Hogan, but he was less critical.

“Not a lot of people are with Trump. [Hogan]’s got good points,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t know much about him, but I know just enough.”

Porras opted for Alsobrooks. He thought Hogan’s tax cuts for retirees didn’t go far enough to make Maryland more affordable for retired residents.

“He wants to be senator? Over my dead body,” Porras said , calling Alsobrooks “something better than Hogan.”

Fleming was scared away from Hogan because of the debate over his abortion stance. Hogan said he personally opposes abortion but promised to protect abortion access. He vowed to push for pro-choice legislation, and he opposes a national abortion ban.

“Larry Hogan is kind of a tricky one,” Fleming said. “He’s pro-abortion and kind of against it, so with that, I just voted for that [Democratic] party.”

Related: MD Senate Race: Hogan, Alsobrooks Closing Pitches On Abortion, Ethics

Abortion Ballot Question

An abortion referendum, known as Question 1, was also on Maryland ballots. Voters will decide if the right to an abortion should be enshrined in the state Constitution.

Kenedy opposed the proposal.

“I believe that life is sacred[, but] I’m not totally against abortion,” Kennedy said, noting that if you kill a pregnant woman “the person gets two counts of murder. What’s the difference?”

Religion was a common reason that voters opposed the abortion question.

“I don’t think it’s right. There’s always solutions outside of abortion,” the Republican Rodriguez said. “I was born Catholic, so we are against abortion.”

The Democratic Porras agreed that his Christian faith led him to vote against the abortion question.

“I’m Catholic, and there’s no such thing as abortion,” Porras said. “That’s a religious thing.”

John Douglas, a registered Republican and split-ticket voter, has different take.

“I think women have the right to choose. I’m Catholic, and I don’t like the church’s stance on that,” Douglas said.

Third-party voter Anas Aqeel said he considered his Islamic faith and decided he is “fully against banning abortion.” Aqeel voted for Question 1, though it’s a “double-edged sword” and he believes in some restrictions.

“I can’t risk the mother’s life … I can’t risk her life for the potential baby,” Aqeel said, advocating for a “reasonable” cut-off at the point when a fetus would be viable outside the womb. [Abortion is] already protected in Maryland[, but] I don’t want somebody in the future to mess with that.”

Fleming said her main motivation to vote was to protect her “reproductive rights,” so she supported the abortion ballot measure. Fleming was adopted at 3 months old, so she’s familiar with the birth-then-adoption counterargument, but she’s still “pro-choice.”

“I’m adopted. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know where I would be,” Fleming said, gesturing toward her adopted mom. “A lot of people say have the baby, just put them up for adoption.”

Related: MD Amendment Would Guarantee Reproductive Freedom

Split-Ticket, Third-Party Voters

Perry Hall is a melting pot of political orientations. Many voters split their tickets between Republicans and Democrats or voted for third parties.

“I don’t vote along party lines. I vote who I think is going to do the best job,” Douglas said.

Though Douglas leans conservative, he voted for Harris in protest to Trump.

“I don’t want to see Trump getting it. He’s a despicable human being,” Douglas said. “I’m not looking for a choir boy, but somebody who doesn’t insult somebody at every turn.”

Despite his Democratic presidential vote, Douglas opted for the Republican Hogan in the Senate.

“He conducts himself in the interest of what’s going to be best for the people,” Douglas said. “I admire the fact that he does what he thinks is right, not the party line.”

Aqeel voted for the third-party candidate in every race, inluding Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein. He was drawn to Stein because she opposes Israel’s “genocide in Gaza.”

Aqeel was frustrated that the Biden-Harris administration has backed the Israeli military during its lopsided attacks on the Gaza Strip after the militant group Hamas invaded Israel last year. Aqeel was conversely disillusioned with Trump’s conviction on falsifying business records charges.

“Both are awful,” Aqeel said. “We have a war enabler …. On the other hand, we have a felon.”

Aqeel considered voting for Hogan, but his campaign never answered his request for more information on the candidate’s platform. Aqeel instead opted for Libertarian Mike Scott in the Senate race because he feels more understood by third parties.

“Their values align with my values,” Aqeel said, urging the U.S. to instead focus on its domestic problems. “We’re wasting tons of money.”

U.S. House Contest

All eight of Maryland’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for grabs. Maryland will have at least three new faces in the House.

Congressmen C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-District 2) and John Sarbanes (D-District 3) are both retiring and chose not to seek re-election. Rep. David Trone (D-District 6) ran for U.S. Senate but lost the primary to Alsobrooks, freeing his House seat.

In Congressional District 2, Perry Hall voters had to decide between Democratic Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, Republican challenger Kim Klacik and Libertarian Jasen Joseph Wunder.

Kennedy backed Klacik.

Klacik, a Black woman, soared to national attention in 2020 behind a viral campaign ad entitled “Black Lives Don’t Matter To Democrats.” The video spotlighted Baltimore’s crumbling infrastructure and gun violence. She argued that Democrats have failed the city for decades and urged Black residents to vote for Republicans.

The ad, which has nearly 1 million views on YouTube, drew an endorsement from Trump in her 7th District race. Klacik lost two elections to former NAACP leader Kweisi Mfume (D) after Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings died, opening up the seat representing Baltimore. Klacik is running again, this time in the 2nd District.

“She’s awesome. She’s feisty,” Kennedy said, recalling Klacik’s ad. “She loves Baltimore … Baltimore needs help.”

Rodriguez disapproves of Olszewski’s performance as county executive, so he’s voting for Klacik.

“I’ve seen Johnny O and what he’s running for, and I’m not with him,” Rodriguez said.

Olszewski has come under fire in recent months after reports that his administration made secret pension payments to the brother of the county executive’s friend. The state GOP called for Olszewski’s immediate resignation, while County Council Republicans instead asked for an investigation before jumping to conclusions. Olszewski denied any wrongdoing, however, and said he plans to continue serving as county executive and running for the U.S. House.

“I don’t particularly like Johnny Olszewski,” Douglas said. “He’s another guy that’s looking out for himself. He’s done things that I don’t think are in the best interest of the community.”

Olszewski’s record of funding parks and schools has earned him some name recognition, however, winning him Democratic votes in the primarily liberal district.

“He’s been the candidate before, and [I] just kind of stuck with the option there: Democrat,” Fleming said.

Related: MD House Election Preview: Olszewski Vs. Klacik, Delaney Vs. Parrott

County Council Expansion Referendum

Another referendum will decide if the Baltimore County Council should expand from seven to nine members.

Supporters think this would diversify the all-male, mostly-white council and improve representation for each voter. Opponents worry about the price tag or the party balance on the council, which has four Republicans and three Democrats. The proposed new distritcs, which still need public input, would all-but-guarantee five council Democrats and four Republicans.

“Extra politicians, I don’t think they’re good for anybody,” Kennedy said after voting against the expansion.

Rodriguez was also against council expansion.

“I think the number that we have is good enough. We don’t need extra parties on it.”

The council expansion push was spearheaded by Democrats, but Porras sees it as a power grab. He pointed to larger districts that have fewer representatives.

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“They can’t run it with less?” Porras questioned. “I wasn’t born yesterday.”

Aqeel agreed with that logic.

“I don’t see the need to increase when other counties have the same number of council members,” Aqeel said. “I would prefer to have this money put in other projects.”

Fleming, on the other hand, favored expansion.

“The more opinions, the better. It couldn’t hurt,” she said.

Douglas voted for expansin to break up the “clique-ish group” of “top-heavy” current council members.

“An additional two members would make it a little more balanced one way or the other,” Douglas said. “I don’t like party line voting.”

Related: Referendum Could Add 2 Seats To Baltimore County Council

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