Major Election in Maryland Drives Alkinburg to Vote

By: Ryan Siegel

The gubernatorial election for the state of Maryland is set to take place in November and Kevin Alkinburg couldn’t be more eager to vote.

Alkinburg, a senior from Port Deposit, MD, is returning home to Cecil County to vote for incumbent Governor Larry Hogan in the upcoming election.

“He has the second highest approval rating among governors in the country.  He has parted himself from Donald Trump,” Alkinburg said about the popular republican Governor Hogan.  “He has reached across the aisle not only for the good of Maryland.  He’s created more than 100,000 jobs in the state and has fought gerrymandering not only at the state level but also at the national level.”

Republican candidates will have to decide whether they align with Donald Trump or not and voters face a similar situation.  Governor Hogan is one of the republicans who has distanced himself from the President.  However, Alkinburg said he believes that the biggest issue is not support for Donald Trump or not, but rather partisanship itself.

“I believe partisanship is currently ruining the country,” Alkinburg said.  “I feel like trying to find candidates that are more towards the middle, willing to work across the aisle is something that this country needs in order to grease the gears of lawmaking.”

Partisanship has plunged into the limelight of American politics.  It’s how people identify themselves.  Voting within Congress and in elections have become increasingly about party politics, especially on an issue like gun rights, an issue that’s near and dear to Alkinburg’s heart.

“I am a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment,” Alkinburg said. “Andy Harris’s (R-MD) pro-gun stance is something that I’ll always lean on or if another republican is running against him or if I’m thinking about voting for a democrat for Maryland’s First District, something like gun rights will be an issue.”

While Alkinburg believes that partisanship is playing a larger role, he is still not losing sight of the issues that are affecting him.

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