PublicPolicy

Larry Hogan, the Republican nominee for Maryland governor, decided last week to participate in the state’s public financing system in the fall election. Hogan is the first candidate in 20 years to do so for a statewide general election. Hogan will receive a grant of about $2.6 million from the state, and his campaign will not be allowed to spend more than that on the race. Donald Norris, professor and chair of the public policy department, was interviewed about Hogan’s decision by The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun. “It surprises me a great deal that Hogan is going this way,” Norris told… Continue Reading Donald Norris, Public Policy, in The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun

Throughout Maryland’s primary election night on June 24, Public Policy Professor and Chair Donald Norris provided analysis on WJZ 13 for several key races, including the race for governor and attorney general. After the governor’s race was set, Norris offered his take on how Democrat Anthony Brown and Republican Larry Hogan will proceed in the months ahead before Election Day in November. “I think these guys are going to go after each other tooth and toenail, quite frankly. It’s a Republican establishment candidate who has positioned himself as a moderate to draw off Democratic votes,” Norris said. ”Brown is, of course, the… Continue Reading Donald Norris, Public Policy, Provides Maryland Primary Election Analysis

An article published June 19 in the Baltimore Jewish Times analyzed several Maryland General Assembly and Congressional races ahead of primary day on June 24. Donald Norris, professor and chair of UMBC’s public policy department, was interviewed for the article and said incumbents will likely have an advantage come primary day. “All the incumbents will win,” predicted Norris, “because the state has been so effectively gerrymandered, and none of them has any [viable] opposition in the primary.” Norris added it is more difficult to predict who will win the primary in the Maryland attorney general race because “turnout is going to be abysmally… Continue Reading Donald Norris, Public Policy, in The Baltimore Jewish Times

With less than two weeks until Maryland’s Democratic primary, new polls in the gubernatorial and attorney general’s race show one race is likely already decided and the other could swing in either direction. Public Policy Professor and Chair Donald Norris was interviewed by The Washington Post about the two polls. A new Washington Post poll shows Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown holding a commanding lead with 46 percent of likely Democratic voters supporting him, with 23 percent backing Attorney General Doug Gansler and 16 percent supporting Del. Heather Mizeur (Montgomery). “Absent a gigantic mistake from the Brown campaign, this is probably over,” Norris said. “I think the only… Continue Reading Donald Norris, Public Policy, in The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun

A recent Washington Times article discusses Maryland officials joining other states in reconsidering school start dates that have been pushed earlier in the summer over the last several years. Some officials say moving the start dates to after Labor Day could benefit the state economically due to additional tourism dollars. Public Policy Professor and Graduate Program Director Dave Marcotte was interviewed for the article and commented on potential academic effects of moving school start dates to after Labor Day. “With the state testing schedule, schools that start early have an advantage,” Marcotte said. “In the state of Wisconsin, schools started moving their… Continue Reading Dave Marcotte, Public Policy, in The Washington Times

Maryland’s Democratic primary in the race for governor is less than a month away, and Public Policy Professor and Chair Donald Norris has been in the news frequently commenting on several aspects of the race. Updated campaign finance reports were released showing Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown’s campaign raising more than $1.2 million since the General Assembly session ended in April with $4.15 million total in cash on hand. Attorney General Douglas Gansler and Del. Heather Mizeur’s campaigns were reported at having $3.1 million and $961,000 in the bank respectively. Norris told The Washington Post that the disparity in fundraising among the… Continue Reading Donald Norris, Public Policy, Comments on Maryland’s Race for Governor

The first televised debate in Maryland’s Democratic gubernatorial campaign aired Wednesday, May 7. Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, Attorney General Douglas Gansler, and Del. Heather Mizeur discussed everything from the rollout of the Affordable Care Act to legalization of marijuana. Public Policy Professor and Chair Donald Norris was interviewed for several stories previewing and recapping the debate. In The Washington Post on May 6, Norris discussed what was at stake for the front-runner in the race, Anthony Brown, saying “his main goal has got to be not to make any colossal mistakes.” In a Baltimore Sun article analyzing the debate, Norris commented on Mizeur’s performance: “She was… Continue Reading Donald Norris, Public Policy, on WJZ 13 and in The Washington Post and Baltimore Sun

With the primary election in Maryland’s race for governor approaching in June, a new poll out shows that more than half of Maryland voters are still undecided. WJZ 13 interviewed Public Policy Professor and Chair Donald Norris about the new poll and what it could mean for voter turnout in June. Norris said timing could have a significant impact because the candidates were restricted from campaigning during the legislative session, which just ended, leaving just a few short months to win over undecided voters. “If the numbers remain anywhere near like that on June 24, turnout will be abysmally low,” Norris… Continue Reading Donald Norris, Public Policy, on WJZ 13, in The Baltimore Sun

On Thursday, April 24, Deborah Trautman ’04, PhD, Public Policy, was named Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). AACN represents 750 member schools of nursing at public and private institutions nationwide, and its educational, research, governmental advocacy, data collection, publications, and other programs work to establish quality standards for bachelor’s and graduate degree nursing education. “I’m honored and excited to take the helm of this important and respected organization,” Trautman said in an AACN press release announcing her appointment. “My goal is to bolster AACN’s longtime mission of finding new ways to improve the quality of… Continue Reading Deborah Trautman ’04, PhD, Public Policy, Named CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing

In his latest column published in Fox News Latino, Public Policy Ph.D. student Justin Vélez-Hagan writes historians may view this as Puerto Rico’s “lost decade” if no changes are made to its economic policies. Vélez-Hagan is executive director of the National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce. He writes Puerto Rico’s economic woes may be rooted in production. “Many believe that Puerto Rico’s weak economy is partly attributable to a lack of investment in the production of exports, often considered one of the major factors behind the original ‘lost decade,’” Vélez-Hagan writes. In the article, Vélez-Hagan also contends that even with its economic struggles, it… Continue Reading Justin Vélez-Hagan, Public Policy, Op-Ed in Fox News Latino

An article published in The Washington Post April 15 examines the steps Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has taken during the last year in preparation for a potential White House bid in 2016. The article states O’Malley has been pivoting toward the left and has energized the Democratic base on issues such as gun control, same-sex marriage and raising the minimum wage. Public Policy Professor and Chair Donald Norris was interviewed for the article and said it is clear to many that O’Malley is attempting to appeal to the left ahead of the 2016 election. “I think everybody in Maryland who pays any… Continue Reading Donald Norris, Public Policy, in The Washington Post, The Diamondback, and Baltimore Jewish Times