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Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous has made a promise you won’t hear most politicians make.
Jealous, a former president of the NAACP, says if elected governor, he’s planning to train citizens on how to organize and advocate for social issues, even if it means putting pressure on his office.
“I’ll be the only governor in this country perhaps, that trains his own citizens to organize,” Jealous told theGrio in a one-on-one interview in Washington, D.C. during CBC’s 48th Annual Legislative Conference.
Jealous says his experience training youth in non-violent resistance during the Baltimore Uprisings inspired his stance.
“I tell people all the time don’t just sign up till election day. You’ve got to sign up for the next eight years, because this is not about me winning, it’s about all of us winning.
Jealous was fresh off a panel with fellow gubernatorial candidates Andrew Gillum of Florida and Stacey Abrams of Georgia, moderated by Angela Rye. The focus of discussion was “The New South” and how an election win from any of the three candidates south of the Mason Dixon Line, could signal Democrats making a comeback.
Jealous touts his experience in social justice organizing and his business career as a venture capitalist, as a foundation for taking on issues other candidates may be hesitant to tackle.
“Don’t get it twisted,” Jealous said. “It’s not the politicians who give us courage. It’s the people who give politicians courage.”
“Don’t get it twisted,” Jealous said. “It’s not the politicians who give us courage. It’s the people who give politicians courage.”
“I know at some point there’ll be some group of Marylanders who I helped train to organize, will be protesting me. That’ll be a very good day. Because there are moments when we all meet our neighbor to help give us some courage.”
Jealous will need courage and a lot of votes come November 4th to best incumbent Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who is leading him in the polls by double digits.
Hogan is a centrist Republican who has openly criticized President Donald Trump, and enjoys popularity and a massively larger campaign budget.
The Republican Governor’s Association has backed Hogan and launched campaign attacks against Jealous calling him a “socialist” and a “radical.”
Jealous defied the odds winning his Democratic primary after starting off in fourth place.
He tells theGrio, his plan to win flies in the face of those labels.
“We’re more similar than we’re not, we have more in common than we don’t,” says Jealous. “As a voter said to me, ‘We’re more alike than we are un-alike.’”
Hogan and Jealous will debate each other for the first- and likely only time- on September 24th.
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