There is no place for anti-semitism in our country
John,
For the first time as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, I delivered remarks on the challenges currently facing the Jewish community.
If you read nothing else in this message, please know I believe there is no place for anti-semitism in Maryland or any other state.
This is not a partisan issue. There are times in history when leaders must STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT, regardless of party affiliation or personal interests.
The lessons of history are crystal clear. We must all take a stand in the face of genocidal acts. There is no room for justification or equivocation for calls to “kill all the Jews.”
If I have the honor of becoming your next senator, you will see the same leadership I showed during my eight years as governor. During that time, we worked together to change Maryland for the better.
We increased security funding for schools, synagogues, and childcare centers that were at risk for hate crimes.
We supported Jewish schools across the state by funding Boost Scholarships for thousands of children.
We deepened our economic partnership with Israeli businesses and universities, including recruiting the Israeli company that produced the technology for the Iron Dome to locate its North American headquarters in Maryland.
I was the first governor in America to sign an executive order prohibiting all state agencies and departments from entering into contracts with businesses that would not certify they would not engage in a boycott of Israel.
Sadly, this type of leadership has become far too rare in Washington. Both of my potential Democratic opponents in this race have demanded that Israel enact an immediate and unilateral ceasefire.
We want to see the violence come to an end. The way to end this humanitarian crisis and achieve a ceasefire is for Hamas leaders to release every single one of the hostages and surrender so they can be held accountable for their crimes.
I recognize some politicians will say and do anything to win an election. But I am not one of them. I’m running for the U.S. Senate not to serve one party but to fix the broken politics in Washington and to fight for Maryland. That’s what I did as governor, and it’s exactly how I’ll serve you in the U.S. Senate.
