Washington Post - Hogan Accuses Brown of Running "Dishonest' Ads that Distort His Record

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By John Wagner

Maryland Republican gubernatorial nominee Larry Hogan on Thursday accused Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown of grossly misrepresenting Hogan's record in a series of attack ads and said his Democratic opponent was running "the most dishonest campaign I've ever seen."

At a news conference, Hogan took issue with claims made in Brown's television ads about his views on abortion, corporate taxes, pre-kindergarten education and gun control, saying Brown was peddling "absolute lies in an effort to slander and defame me."

"If he's willing to blatantly lie throughout this campaign, how can he be trusted in public office?" Hogan, an Anne Arundel County businessman, asked reporters called to his Annapolis campaign headquarters. Asked if he was calling Brown a liar, Hogan replied: "Yes, I am."

Brown showed no sign of backing off, with Justin Schall, his campaign manager, saying in a statement that "Hogan is having problems with reality, so he's trying to distract and hide from his own words. . . . Hogan should be worried that voters will reject his conservative agenda as they learn the truth."

Hogan sought at the news conference to rebut several of the claims that have appeared in recent Brown ads, including the contention that he opposes abortion, including in cases of rape and incest.

"That is an absolute lie," Hogan said. "Nothing will change on abortion with me as governor."

Hogan said he personally has long opposed abortion but has always made exceptions for rape and incest. Despite his personal views, Hogan said, he has no intention of asking the legislature to change the law on abortion.

Representatives of the Maryland Democratic Party, which distributed fliers on Hogan's record outside his news conference, pointed Thursday to reports that as a congressional candidate in 1981, Hogan supported a "human life amendment" to the U.S. Constitution that did not include exceptions for rape and incest.

At his news conference, Hogan also disputed a Brown ad that contends the Republican would rather provide $300 million a year in corporate tax breaks than fund universal preschool education, as Brown has proposed.

In response to a reporter's question, Hogan said that he supports cutting the corporate tax rate from 8.25 percent to 6 percent. Nonpartisan legislative analysts have said that move would cost the state about $300 million a year in revenue. Hogan argued, however, that the tax cut would help attract and retain businesses and result in more revenue for the state.

As for pre-kindergarten education, Hogan said: "I support pre-K. I'm not for taking one single penny out of pre-K."

He said, however, that the state cannot currently afford to expand its offerings to the extent that Brown has proposed. Brown's plan is projected to cost close to $138 million a year by 2019.

Hogan also said that Brown's claims about his views on gun control were false. A Brown ad makes several representations, including that Hogan "opposed common-sense background checks." The claims are based on Hogan's opposition to a sweeping gun-control bill passed by the legislature in 2013.

Hogan said Thursday that he supports a different measure that would provide "instant, point-of-sale background checks."

An earlier Brown ad that accused Hogan of supporting "massive" college tuition increases also drew Hogan's ire on Thursday.

During the Republican administration of former governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., tuition at some public universities in Maryland rose more than 40 percent. Hogan served in Ehrlich's administration as appointments secretary, a position that involved steering people into state jobs.

Hogan said Thursday that he played no role in setting tuition rates, calling the Brown claim "an absolute lie."

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