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Uphill Climb for Ben Jealous in MD Governor's Race

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland's Ben Jealous says he's ready to climb what some describe as the state's political Mount Everest: Defeating Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.

It just might be that tall a task, even for a Democrat in a blue state where Republicans are outnumbered 2-1. That's because Democrats throughout the state like Hogan.

Baltimore's Sandtown-Winchester is a disenfranchised black neighborhood where it once would have been highly unusual for residents to support a Republican candidate. But even there, Donte Fisher wore a "Hogan for Governor" T-shirt during Tuesday's primary. He says Hogan gets things done.

Jealous won 22 of 24 Maryland counties with a progressive campaign in a crowded Democratic primary. He compared that to climbing K2, the world's second-highest mountain. He says if you can climb K2, you can climb Everest.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.