On Nov. 4, 2014, politically involved citizens of Maryland voted in the midterm elections, which resulted in surprising conservative voting trends throughout the state and the U.S. In Maryland, Republican and current governor-elect Larry Hogan won the gubernatorial race with a 53.8 percent majority, while Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, the Democratic candidate, only earned 44.8 percent of citizens’ votes. In other traditionally liberal states, voters elected many Republican governors, House representatives, and Senators, giving the Republican party control of Congress as well as many state governments.

This election in Maryland could potentially change a lot of policies and patterns of the state government which is now divided between the Democratic and Republican parties for the first time since 2006. This divide could create widespread change, or create gridlock within the government.

Many citizens are frustrated with President Obama and his policies, as well as with Governor Martin O’Malley of Maryland, who has held two terms, and has advocated for liberal changes within the state. In the weeks leading up to the the election, many citizens were frustrated with the number of taxes O’Malley created. Growing resistance to O’Malley and his policies has been visible since he repealed the death penalty, passed the Dream Act, and passed same sex marriage, which many of the independent and conservative citizens of Maryland did not fully support, and resisted the change by putting referendums on the ballot in the 2012 election.

The results of the gubernatorial election shocked Maryland citizens, who have only seen a Republican governor in power in Maryland twice in the past 48 years, and the large majority of who often vote for Democratic candidates and propositions. Maryland has a ratio of two Democrats to one Republican who are registered to vote in the state, which means that many Democrats voted Republican in this race.

According to Hogan, it is beneficial for Maryland and the government to be balanced, in terms of political ideology and affiliation.

“While we are not going to turn a blue state into a red state, we now have a better system of checks and balances. A competitive, two-party system is healthy for our democracy,” said Hogan, “It’s gratifying that people put aside political party to vote for the candidate they thought best represented the hope for the future and would do the best job in turning the state around.”

Although Anthony Brown was expected to win because of his name recognition, fundraising advantages with $4 million of donations to the campaign and $1.6 million of donations to the Maryland Democratic Party, and the support of the Obama administration and both the Clintons, he had major flaws in his campaign. Brown focused on a negative campaign towards Hogan, telling citizens he had a “dangerous agenda” on social issues. By focusing mainly on negative campaign ads, Brown spent his campaign funds on negative name recognition for Hogan instead of focusing on inspiring citizens and giving them an idea of what he would be like in office.

Neither candidate was viewed as being a very strong candidate by citizens, considering that they both engaged in negative campaign tactics that focused on their opponent, instead of positively promoting themselves. However, Hogan made decisions that led his campaign to success.

Hogan chose to take public funding for the election, getting only $2.6 million to campaign and advertise, which put him at a disadvantage compared to Brown. However, he was very accessible to the media and to the people, traveling all over the state and characterizing himself as a businessman instead of a politician.

“[My favorite part of the campaign was] getting out and meeting Marylanders at county fairs, parades and festivals all across the state and listening to issues they care about,” said Larry Hogan.

He also advertised cutting taxes and pro-business policies, which appealed to Maryland citizens who are concerned with the economy and job availability and stability.

“Our grassroots effort and social media presence, and our message of fiscal responsibility and common sense [were the most successful parts of the campaign],” said Hogan, “Voters were really fed up with the state of our economy, the 40 consecutive tax increases levied by the O’Malley-Brown administration, and reckless spending.”

Hogan’s main goals as governor are to reduce spending, run the government more cost-effectively, roll back as many of the 40 consecutive tax increases as possible, put the economy back on track, and put people back to work.

While Hogan ran a more successful campaign than Brown, unprecedented low voter turnout significantly affected the results of the election. Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and Baltimore County are three Democratic strongholds in Maryland, but the voter turnout was so low in these counties, that this could have made the difference in the election results. In Montgomery County, Brown earned only 199,00 votes in Montgomery County out of 245,636 voters. Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez for Montgomery County mentioned in an interview for Delmarva now that if more voters from Montgomery County and other Democratic strongholds had come out to vote, the election results definitely would have been different.

Although the national political climate is currently moving in a conservative direction, American politics are constantly changing. Also, because of the two party system, the popularity and success of the parties often fluctuate, but always balance each other out. With a presidential election coming up in two years, many political analysts are expecting Democratic results, as long as there is higher voter turnout.

Many Marylanders are still analyzing and questioning the results of the gubernatorial election. However many people, including Hogan, believe that the results of the election were purposeful by the citizens of Maryland.

“I think most Marylanders felt the state was headed in the wrong direction, and many voters were willing to put aside their political affiliation to vote for change,” said Hogan, “We also focused on issues that all Marylanders could relate to, instead of divisive issues.”

Also, many liberal propositions were passed in typically conservative states this year, showing progress in the mindsets of Americans, aside from political party affiliation. For example, Alaska and Oregon legalized marijuana, and Alaska, Arkansas, South Dakota and Nebraska passed minimum wage legislation, although all of these places also elected Republican officials during this election.

In the next election, a new generation of young people will be able to vote, including many students at WJ. This election represents how important it is for all people, especially young people, to be aware, active, and involved in government and elections. All citizens who vote make a direct impact on the election results, and have a chance to shape the future of their state and country by voting.