Friend,

Last night, John shared his vision to make public education in our state more equitable at the Baltimoreans for Education Equity (BEE) Forum. While John was speaking directly with teachers, students, parents, and Maryland voters about his plans, our establishment opponents Peter Franchot and Wes Moore never showed up.

If that’s not a clear signal of the kind of governor these candidates would be, here’s a quick recap of how last night’s forum went down:

• John received the highest rating out of any other candidate in this race
• Peter Franchot, who opposed the Blueprint for Maryland's future (the biggest investment in public education in MD history) and didn’t show up to this forum, somehow still scored second behind John, putting all other candidates in a pretty tough spot
• Other candidates in attendance either barely passed or outright flunked with an F rating
• Wes Moore, who claims to be the education candidate, received a “come see me after class” because he did not complete the candidate questionnaire on time and he refused to show up to the forum itself

Just take a look at BEE’s report card:

Look, we know grades aren’t everything, but as a lifelong teacher and public school dad, John can’t help but love to see an A on a report card – and we’re pretty psyched, too.

These education ratings highlight the very clear differences between John’s progressive vision for Maryland and our opponents’ lackluster views to do more of the same. Maryland has made great progress over the years, but too many haven’t been given a real seat at the table of opportunity and the status quo simply isn’t going to cut it for those underserved Marylanders.

Maryland cannot afford to nominate a candidate who doesn’t show up for them. Who isn’t transparent on where they stand on major issues like education, climate change, and health care. Who shape their policy platform to appease the millionaires and insiders backing their campaign rather than support the folks who’d be directly affected.

John’s vision for a more just, more equitable Maryland can win. We have the groundswell of grassroots support from Marylanders in every corner of the state and the endorsements of major progressive organizations and national figures who know John King is the right candidate to meet this moment. 

If you agree that we need a former public school teacher who knows what it takes to reform the education system in Maryland, will you pitch in just $12 right now?

With gratitude, 

Team King for Maryland