Hollywood, MD – Rep. Steny Hoyer [D-5th District] is in his 19th election for Congress. Along the way, the St. Mary’s County resident has served as House Majority Leader (2007-11) and House Majority Whip (2003-2007). He is the second-ranking figure in the House Democratic leadership ladder.

This time Hoyer’s Republican opponent is Mark Arness, a Calvert County resident whose resume includes a U.S. Air Force court martial in 2009 and a 2014 denial of an appeal of that court martial.

Hoyer, 77, was interviewed at The BayNet on Monday, Oct. 5. During the interview Hoyer repeated what he has said locally on several occasions – that this is the most important presidential election in his many years in office (including the Maryland Senate), He says he has always voted for a Democrat for president going back to John F., Kennedy, but he never considered the Republican challengers to be dangerous, until now. “He (Donald Trump) is not fit to be President of the United States,” Hoyer said.

Hoyer wholeheartedly supports former State Secretary Hillary Clinton. He said that many people do not know that she is “warm, engaging and has a good sense of humor. “I am not sure that comes across to people,” he said, adding “If people get to know her personally they would vote for her.”

Many of Hoyer’s previous challengers have alleged that he wasn’t personally responsible for the successes of the area’s military installations, that anyone could have done that. Hoyer uses the recent derailing of the wind turbine on the Eastern Shore as a threat to Pax River as an example of where he personally interceded and got it overturned.

Hoyer asked critics who were involved in previous Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), such as Bob Waxman at Webster Field, to confirm his direct involvement in the success of the bases.

Hoyer does not fear another BRAC for the area, noting that the Defense Department is doing mini BRACs every day as they review what’s going on at military installations. He stated that one of the bright spot’s in the future of the Patuxent River Naval Air Station’s is the work being done with the unmanned aircrafts.

On other issues, Hoyer…

• Agrees that something needs to be done to make Social Security and Medicare solvent.
• Changes need to be made to the Affordable Care Act to make it more palatable to small businesses and health care providers.
• Comprehensive tax reform is needed to aid small businesses and others less able to afford it.
• He favors good trade deals, but opposes the fast tracking of deals favored by President Obama.

The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Early voting for this election begins on Thursday, Oct. 27  and ends Thursday, Nov. 3.

The entire video of the interview with Rep. Steny Hoyer:

Contact Dick Myers at dick.myers@thebaynet.com


 
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