Why I am running for Lieutenant Governor with Doug Gansler
When I stepped down as Mayor of the City of Hyattsville in December 2020, I had no intention of getting back into politics — at least not as an elected official. I’d decided to focus on the important work of growing Our Black Party, an organization I co-founded earlier that summer. Our Black Party is a political organization that was established to support policies and candidates that support a Black agenda. For our purposes, a Black agenda is a set of policies and/or programs that, when implemented, improve the quality of life for Black people in this country. I did not plan to seek elected office for two reasons: 1) I was looking forward to (and quite enjoying I might add) my life as a recovering politician, and 2) because I know the way this country and the politicians who serve it admonish those they believe are too radical or too vocal or, put simply, “too Black”, I figured my ranking in the “who’s got next” Olympics had declined. I was wrong.
Although we did not know each other personally, I was familiar with Doug Gansler from his run for Governor in 2014. As our conversations matured over the course of the last year and eventually turned to discussions of a partnership for this upcoming Gubernatorial election, one question superseded all others: How would he deal when my commitment to my community may butt up against what is politically expedient? Doug’s response was “I know what you care about, it’s important and that’s what I want!” From my vantage point, that meant Doug was willing to risk his political capital and a second go at the state’s top spot to put his values into action. At that point, I felt we could have a real conversation about what leading the state of Maryland could look like for us as a team.
Doug and I have both won and lost before, and we’re willing to put it on the line again because we know Marylanders deserve so much more.
When I ran for a seat on the Prince George’s County Council in 2018 to represent District 2, I ran because there were a set of issues impacting the City of Hyattsville over which the County Council had jurisdiction. I had become impatient with the county’s inaction on issues affecting vulnerable populations, particularly affordable housing. We — I and the many residents and advocates — needed to take our work to a larger stage to address an issue that hit so close to home to, through hope and action, ensure that those at lower incomes could still find community in Hyattsville as it continued to thrive. We were unsuccessful in that race and in the time since we’ve only seen the cost of housing in Hyattsville continue to rise.
None of us were born into a party. We were born into community, and it is time for our politics and our government to reflect that reality.
I know the power we have as a community, and I embrace it. Instead of feeling powerless over this and other issues affecting working-class people, I say let’s ride this thing to the top. None of us were born into a party. We were born into community, and it is time for our politics and our government to reflect that reality. Doug and I have both won and lost before, and we’re willing to put it on the line again because we know Marylanders deserve so much more.
The issues we face in Maryland are great and it’s a palpable tale of the haves and have-nots. Our state ranks in the top 10 for public schools in the nation, yet we have school districts where barely 30% of high school students are proficient in English and math. Medical marijuana industry reported over $600M in revenue in Maryland while the state has the highest incarceration rate of Black men in the country, in part I’m sure, due to overzealous and targeted enforcement of drug possession. More plainly, Maryland simultaneously sits at the top of the lists for the richest state in the country and states with the greatest income inequality.
Fixing this will require consistent, thoughtful attention without the stain of what has become of partisan politics. It is not enough for me to wash my hands and ignore the work needed to make our state better. It is not enough to pass the responsibility to someone else. I know what is possible when we work together toward a shared vision. That’s what we did in Hyattsville, and we can do that in every single community across the state.
As we’ve campaigned across the state, I’ve met many Marylanders who share my belief that we can be better, do better, and have better. It is through those conversations that I have become even more excited about the possibility of being Maryland’s next Lieutenant Governor.
I know that when we win, we will all win.
Candace Hollingsworth is the former mayor of Hyattsville, Maryland, and a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. Authority: Friends of Candace Hollingsworth, Arthur Lawrence, Treasurer | Friends of Doug Gansler, Theresa Denney, Treasurer.
