Hogan Praised For Pandemic Work, Criticized For Vaccine Rollout

ANNAPOLIS, MD — It's been one year and four days since Maryland reported its first coronavirus infections. Ever since, Gov. Larry Hogan has been the face of the state's pandemic response.

To gauge how Marylanders view Hogan's performance, Patch conducted a reader survey. This questionnaire was not a scientific poll, but it gave a broad idea of public opinion.

Respondents valued the governor's opening actions in the pandemic. They were more divided on recent debates, however.

"His initial response to the pandemic was fantastic," one participant said. "Getting our children back to school, vaccinating teachers, and the overall rollout of vaccinations has been horrible."

Many survey-takers speculated that Hogan is considering a presidential run. Though some Marylanders supported this potential, others were frustrated with it.

"Hogan needs to focus on Maryland and not his future failed presidential run," a reader asserted.

The questionnaire opened last Friday around 10:30 a.m. It closed at noon Monday. Altogether, 1,738 readers took the survey.

Overall Grade

The majority of respondents were satisfied with the job that Hogan has done. More than half the participants gave him an overall grade of an 'A' or a 'B'. Less than one-third gave him a failing grade.

"I am proud to say I live in the state of Maryland under the guidance of Gov Hogan’s leadership," a reader cheered. "This is a crisis like no other and he has been transparent, clear and has done every thing that he can to ensure Marylanders feel safe. Hats off!"

Adding Restrictions

When infections started rolling in last spring, Hogan shut down the state. Only essential businesses remained open, and an indoor mask mandate went into effect.

As spring turned to summer, the governor eased these regulations. Maryland battled a second wave, however, around Independence Day. Hogan fought back by requiring masks in all indoor and outdoor public places where social distancing is not possible.

After crushing that curve, cases skyrocketed after Halloween. The governor responded by reducing bars and restaurants from 75 percent capacity back to a 50 percent limit.

Most respondents agreed with these measures. More than 59 percent gave Hogan an 'A' or a 'B' in this category.

"In a very difficult situation, Gov. Hogan has been reasonable, visible, and responsive to the changing environment of the pandemic," one survey-taker reflected. "He has been very clear on what is expected of the citizens of the state and why these expectations have been necessary."

Removing Restrictions

Hogan removed restrictions fairly steadily over the summer, bumping capacities and reopening all businesses. The holiday surge complicated his efforts, however.

New infections and hospitalizations both soared to record highs, forcing further reopenings to pause. That third wave started to ease up in mid-January.

The governor on Tuesday announced that jurisdictions can lift their dining, retail and worship capacity restrictions. Counties may keep their occupancy caps if they wish, but Hogan requested that local leaders follow his lead. Masks are still required in all public places where residents can't physically distance.

Participants seemed to agree with the rate that Maryland is shedding restrictions. About one-third gave the governor an 'A' in this category.

"I believe Gov. Hogan has done the best job possible," another respondent noted. "Hopefully, we can focus on the positives and move forward TOGETHER!"

Vaccine Rollout

The coronavirus vaccine reached Maryland around the New Year, but it has left many Marylanders confused. With each provider running their own sign-up, the state has dozens of places to preregister for the immunization. Maryland's congressional delegation has called on Hogan to create a centralized vaccine portal, but the governor claimed this would create too much strain on a single website.

Some leaders think the rollout is inequitable, and one called it "racially discriminatory." Prince George's County, which has the most infections in Maryland, has the lowest vaccination rate in the state. Montgomery County, which has the largest population in Maryland, still doesn't have a mass immunization site.

To Hogan's credit, he has opened six mass vaccination sites across the state. The governor also updated his inoculation equity plan last week, though one official thinks this isn't enough.

Readers noted these conflicts and gave Hogan the lowest grades on his inoculation performance. Nearly half of all respondents gave the governor a failing mark. The most common grade was an 'F' at nearly 28 percent of the responses.

"The whole rollout of the vaccine program is horrific!" one participant declared. "I used to like Hogan but not after the vaccine fiasco."

Economy

The pandemic has rocked Maryland's economy. Before coronavirus struck, the unemployment rate was 3.5 percent. That spiked to 9 percent by April 2020. It has since fallen to 6.8 percent.

That initial wave of unemployment claims overwhelmed the state's system. Many Marylanders faced long delays and reported complications collecting their checks.

Those challenges eventually subsided, but a new foe arose. Scammers tried to swindle the state out of $501 million worth of unemployment insurance. The state caught the fraudulent claims, blocking an expensive loss and saving 48,000 stolen identities.

Aside from the unemployment difficulties, the governor has been a frequent advocate for more economic aid. He has:

• Signed $1 billion worth of relief and tax cuts into law
• Allocated more than $500 million of state money toward stimulus
• Sent aid to small businesses

More than half the survey-takers appreciated these moves and gave Hogan an 'A' or a 'B'.

"Marylanders have been lucky to have Larry Hogan at the helm," another participant stated. He followed the science and not Trump’s nonsense."

Balancing Health And Economy

With some residents urging Hogan to lift all regulations and others asking him to take it slow, the entire pandemic has been a balancing act between health and economic priorities. Most participants thought the governor did a good job toeing this line.

Nearly one-third gave Hogan's balance an 'A'. More than half gave him an 'A' or a 'B'.

"He has done the best that he can in uncharted waters, certainly much better than governors across the country," a respondent analyzed.

School Policies

Behind his vaccine rollout, Hogan's school policies were the second-most controversial aspect of his performance. He closed schools last March and left them shuttered through the end of the 2019-2020 school year. It's been a nonstop debate ever since.

Last August, the governor permitted schools to reopen for hybrid classes. Few jurisdictions took him up on the offer. Teachers fought back, arguing it was still unsafe to return to the classroom.

Hogan renewed his push in January, saying there was "no public health reason for school boards to be keeping students out of schools." He urged school districts to start hybrid classes by March 1, drawing another round of teacher blowback. Most counties have since reopened their classrooms for optional hybrid learning.

Respondents were fairly evenly split in their grading of Hogan's school reopening efforts. The most popular grade was an 'F', raking in more than a quarter of the votes.

"What will the state do about many school students that couldn’t or didn’t learn virtually?" a reader wondered. "Their academic and social skills regressed during the past year and many should not go on to the next grade."

Transparency

So much misinformation has circulated throughout the pandemic. That has driven home the importance of clear communication. Readers seemed to appreciate Hogan's transparency throughout the madness, but there were was one notable dispute.

The governor bought 500,000 coronavirus test kits from a South Korean company last April. His Korean wife helped orchestrate the $9.5 million purchase. Former President Donald Trump downplayed the deal, saying Hogan "didn't really understand" all the resources that the federal government had for states.

Rumors circulated that the test kits had problems, but officials only confirmed these issues months later. Acting Maryland Health Secretary Dennis Schrader called the kits "clunky."

The Washington Post reported last November that Maryland couldn't use the initial kits because they didn't match the instructions authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Maryland Matters noted that the state had to pay an extra $2.5 million to replace its first shipment.

The governor alleged that these accusations were part of "false, partisan attacks and a coordinated disinformation campaign." Last December, Hogan announced that Maryland used all of the South Korean test kits. He has not addressed the situation since then.

"All of the secrecy behind the Korean test kits has had me very suspicious," one survey-taker explained. "Whenever he is questioned on this he gets extremely defensive."

Despite this argument, readers rated the governor as very transparent. About 39 percent gave him an 'A' here.

"[Hogan's] response was direct and timely," another participant applauded. "I especially appreciate his press conferences for their on point analysis. He is the best Governor MD has had in many years."

National Presence

The governor became a national figure last spring. With Trump relegating much of the responsibility to local leaders, governors had to step up.

Hogan chaired the National Governors Association, meaning he frequently made headlines. He has:

• Written a book, making many wonder whether he is considering a presidential run in 2024
• Penned a Washington Post op-ed bashing Trump
• Raised money for masks with a bobblehead modeled after him
• Met with President Joe Biden to ask for more economic relief and vaccine doses

Survey-takers loved this national attention. More than 60 percent gave Hogan an 'A' or a 'B' for his presence at the federal level.

"Hogan has consistently shown excellent leadership qualities," one Democrat wrote. "Hogan would get my vote if he ran for President."

Coronavirus Vaccine Resources

Read Patch's explainer to learn when, how and where you can get an immunization.

To see when you'll be eligible for the vaccine, head to this website or read Maryland's plan. Use the state's search engine to find the location and registration form for your closest inoculation clinics.

Check Maryland's immunization progress on its numbers dashboard. Follow the state's infection trends on its data tracker. For more information about the coronavirus vaccine, click here.

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RELATED:

• Leader Blasts Hogan's Vaccine Equity Plan, Demands Better Rollout
• March 5: Year Anniversary Of First Cases Declared Remembrance Day
• Centralized Vaccine Sign-Up Proposed By MD Lawmaker
• MD Administers 1M Vaccine Doses; Hogan Says Supply Still Scarce
• Hogan Meets With Biden To Talk Economic Aid, Coronavirus Vaccines

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.