Ben Jealous: Democrat for Maryland Governor

Today on Midday, we continue our series of Conversations with the Candidates.My guest is Ben Jealous, the Democratic nominee for Governor. He was one of nine Democrats on the ballot in the primary last June. And he beat the crowded field handily, with 40% of the vote, defying pollsters and pundits, many of whom who had predicted a win by Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker.In the end, Mr. Jealous bested Mr. Baker by nearly 10 points. Ben Jealous and his running mate Susan Turnbull, the former Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, are now challenging Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and Lt. Gov Boyd Rutherford. Ben Jealous is perhaps best known as the former president and CEO of the NAACP. When he was appointed to that position in 2008, he was, at 35 years old, the youngest person ever to lead the venerable civil rights organization. In 2013, he joined Kapor Capital, a socially conscious investment firm. He manages the firm’s Baltimore office. He is also a visiting professor at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. We livestreamed this show on the WYPR Facebook page. If you missed that video, check it out here.Election Day is seven weeks from today. Early voting begins in just 37 days on Oct. 25. Please remember to get out and vote!Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.