11 TV Hill: UMBC Poll reveals 2026 priorities for Maryland politics
FOR ME TO FILL. WELL, A NEW LEGISLATIVE SESSION HASN’T YET BEGUN, BUT ALREADY THERE’S SEVERAL BIG STORIES COMING OUT OF ANNAPOLIS, INCLUDING THE SELECTION OF A NEW HOUSE SPEAKER, A RECENT UMBC POLL GOT THE PULSE OF MARYLANDERS ON SEVERAL TOPICS LIKELY TO COME UP IN SESSION, FROM POTENTIAL REDISTRICTING TO MARYLAND’S BUDGET DEFICIT. EVEN THE KEY BRIDGE REBUILD. AND HI EVERYONE, I’M JASON NEWTON. WELCOME TO 11 TV HILL. IT HAS BEEN A VERY BUSY LAST WEEK IN THE CITY OF ANNAPOLIS BEGAN ON TUESDAY WHEN THE STATE HOUSE LEADERS THEY CONVENED TO ELECT SPEAKER ADRIAN JONES’S REPLACEMENT, A LEGISLATOR SELECTED DELEGATE JOCELYN PENA-MELNYK, A DEMOCRAT, FOR THAT POSITION. PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY DELEGATE IS THE FIRST AFRO-LATINA TO HOLD THAT TITLE. SHE EARNED THE PRAISE OF COLLEAGUES FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE. I STAND HERE TODAY FILLED WITH HUMILITY AND GRATITUDE, FULLY AWARE THAT THIS MOMENT IS LARGER THAN ANY ONE PERSON. I WILL FIGHT FOR EVERYONE. I DON’T CARE WHERE YOU COME FROM, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO FEEL UNSEEN AND UNHEARD. AND ON THURSDAY NIGHT, GOVERNOR WES MOORE’S REDISTRICTING COMMISSION SIGNALED IT WILL RECOMMEND NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAPS. BUT THIS IS CAUSING A DIVIDE AMONG DEMOCRATIC LEADERS, SOME OF WHOM DON’T WANT THOSE MAPS ADJUSTED. NOW, MARYLANDERS WILL HAVE TWO WEEKS TO SUBMIT THEIR IDEAS FOR CONSIDERATION, AND EVERY DAY MARYLANDERS HAVE THEIR OWN OPINIONS ABOUT REDISTRICTING. IS THAT ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT UMBC’S INSTITUTE OF POLITICS POSED IN A RECENT POLL? AND JOINING US NOW IS DOCTOR MELIA CROMER, THE INSTITUTE’S DIRECTOR. GOOD TO SEE YOU. HEY, THANKS FOR HAVING ME. LISTEN, THIS THING, IT RANKS REALLY HIGH WHEN IT COMES TO POLITICIANS. WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR EVERYDAY PERSON. A IT’S NOT THAT BIG OF A PRIORITY. SO WE ASKED MARYLANDERS A COUPLE DIFFERENT QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR PRIORITIES. LOOKING FORWARD TO LEGISLATIVE SESSION. THE OPEN ENDED VERSION. THOSE FOLKS WILL TELL YOU THAT THE ECONOMY, JOBS, COST OF LIVING. MOST PEOPLE IDENTIFY THAT AS THEIR NUMBER ONE ISSUE, FOLLOWED BY THE STATE BUDGET, TAXES AND GOVERNMENT SPENDING. WHEN WE START TO ASK ABOUT INDIVIDUAL PRIORITIES, ALL THESE COST OF LIVING INDICATORS SORT OF BUBBLE TO THE TOP AS THINGS THAT MARYLANDERS DEEM A HIGH PRIORITY. WHAT DOES NOT BUBBLE TO THE TOP IS REDRAWING DISTRICT LINES IN THE STATE. SO ONLY AROUND 20 TO AROUND 27 PEOPLE, 27% OF PEOPLE WANT THINK IT’S A PRIORITY FOR MARYLANDERS TO THE MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO REDISTRICT. WHAT’S INTERESTING IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY THEY DON’T WANT TO BE A PRIORITY, BUT THE FOLKS WHO ARE DOING THE REDISTRICTING SEEMS LIKE PEOPLE DON’T REALLY TRUST THEM TO DO THE DRAWING OF THE MAPS. SO THERE IS I THINK THERE’S A REALLY WIDESPREAD ATTITUDES FOR LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING, MID CYCLE REDISTRICTING. SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK ATTITUDES REALLY FALL ACROSS FOUR DIFFERENT CATEGORIES. LIKE EITHER YOU LIKE IT AND YOU WANT IT TO BE DONE, YOU LIKE IT, BUT YOU DON’T THINK IT SHOULD BE DONE. YOU DON’T LIKE IT, BUT YOU THINK IT’S NECESSARY OR YOU DON’T LIKE IT AND IT SHOULDN’T BE DONE. AND WHAT WE FIND IS A MAJORITY OF MARYLANDERS, ABOUT 60% SAY THEY LIKE IT. THE IDEA. BUT BUT AMONG THOSE THAT ONLY ONLY 20% SAID THEY LIKE IT. AND IT SHOULD BE IT’S NECESSARY TO DO. AND IT SEEMS LIKE WHAT THEY AGREE ON IS WHEN IT COMES TO GERRYMANDERING, WHEN YOU’RE DOING IT FOR THE FAVOR OF ONE OTHER PARTY. I MEAN, I THINK VOTERS ARE CLEAR. THEY’RE NOT DOWN WITH THAT DIRECTION OF DRAWING THE LINES. RIGHT. AND JUST TO BE CLEAR, AND I THINK I MISSPOKE, A MAJORITY OF FOLKS DON’T LIKE IT. I’M SORRY. WHAT? THEY DON’T LIKE IT AND THEY DON’T. AND THERE’S A CHUNK OF THOSE 20% OF THOSE WHO DON’T LIKE IT, BUT THEY THINK IT’S NECESSARY. AND I THINK A SMALLER PROPORTION OF MARYLANDERS SAY THAT THEY LIKE IT AND THEY THINK IT SHOULD BE DONE. YEAH. IF THEY DON’T WANT POLITICIANS TO DO IT, WHO WOULD THEY PREFER TO HELP DRAW THE LINE? SO I THINK IN A PERFECT WORLD FOR MARYLANDERS AND WE HAVE I PULLED ON THIS BEFORE AND THIS IS A PRETTY CONSISTENT SORT OF ATTITUDE. MOST PEOPLE LIKE THE IDEA OF AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSION TO REDRAW THOSE DISTRICT LINES, BECAUSE MOST MARYLANDERS, LIKE A LOT OF AMERICANS, BELIEVE THAT DRAWING DISTRICT LINES TO FAVOR ONE PARTY OVER ANOTHER IS A IS A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY. THEY DON’T LIKE IT. AND SO TO TO PUSH FORWARD WITH LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING IS A PUBLIC OPINION ISSUE. AND SO THERE’S GOING TO BE PRIORITIES THAT NEED TO BE DONE FIRST, THAT MARYLANDERS WANT TO SEE DONE FIRST. BUT WE WILL SEE IF THE GOVERNMENT MOVES FORWARD WITH DOING THIS. OKAY. CATCH YOUR BREATH BECAUSE I HAVE ANOTHER BIG ONE FOR YOU. THAT’S THAT’S THE KEY BRIDGE. I THINK AS WE’VE SEEN THE PRICE GO UP AND WE’VE SEEN THE DELAY SORT OF BE, YOU KNOW, IT’S OUT THERE NOW. PEOPLE ARE SETTLED WITH IT. THEY UNDERSTAND THIS IS GOING TO TAKE A LONG TIME. THEY DO. AND SO THAT’S IN A WAY IT’S MARYLANDERS I THINK ARE REALLY REFLECTING THE NEWS ON THE GROUND WHERE IT’S NOT GOING TO BE TOMORROW AND IT’S NOT GOING TO BE EVEN, YOU KNOW, TWO YEARS FROM NOW, A MAJORITY OF FOLKS THINK IT’S GOING TO BE 5 TO 10 YEARS. AND THERE ARE SOME FOLKS WHO THINK IT’S GOING TO BE MORE THAN 20. AND SO I’M HOPING HOPING THOSE PEOPLE AREN’T RIGHT. BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK AN IMPORTANT THING TO MENTION IS THAT WE ASK FOLKS HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT THE LOSS OF THE KEY BRIDGE HAS HAD ON THE BALTIMORE METROPOLITAN AREA AND ACROSS THE BOARD. SO NOT JUST FOLKS WHO LIVE HERE LIKE US, BUT FOLKS WHO LIVE IN AROUND PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY OR MONTGOMERY COUNTY, AND EVEN ACROSS THE RURAL PARTS OF THE STATE. YOU KNOW, THEY SAY THAT THEY RECOGNIZE THAT IT HAS LIKE SOME OR A LOT OF IMPACT OF LIFE IN THE BALTIMORE METROPOLITAN AREA AND THE LOSS OF THE BRIDGE. AND THEY WERE CLEAR ON IT. IT WAS THEIR DAILY ROUTINE. IT WAS THEIR COMMUTE. EVEN ECONOMICALLY, PEOPLE, THEY FEEL THAT IMPACT, AT LEAST FROM WHAT THE POLL IS SAYING. OH, ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN, AND THE ECONOMY CONTINUES TO BE SUCH A TOP OF MIND ISSUE FOR ALL MARYLANDERS. AGAIN, YOU LOOK AT THE PRIORITIES. THESE ARE ALL COST OF LIVING ISSUES, AND THE PEOPLE ARE OFFERING UP THE FACT THAT COST OF LIVING AND JOBS AND THE ECONOMY IS REALLY LIKE WHAT THEY THINK OF THE MAIN ISSUE FACING THE STATE. AND THAT KEY BRIDGE IS, IS PART ITS ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE. YEAH. YOU KNOW WHAT I NOTICED? THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLKS IN SOME OF THESE CATEGORIES WHERE, I DON’T KNOW, WAS A PROMINENT ANSWER FOR A LOT OF THEM. ARE PEOPLE NOT AS PLUGGED IN, OR ARE THEY SORT OF CHECKING OUT OF POLITICS FOR A LITTLE WHILE? I’M NOT SURE. AND SO CERTAINLY WE ASKED MARYLANDERS IF THEY THOUGHT THE MAPS, THE LEGISLATIVE MAPS RIGHT NOW WERE DRAWN FAIRLY OR UNFAIRLY, ALMOST 30% FOLKS SAID THEY DIDN’T KNOW. YEAH. AND SO AMONG THE REST OF THE FOLKS, YOU’LL SEE THAT THERE. PEOPLE BELIEVE ABOUT A THIRD OF PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THEY’RE DRAWN UNFAIRLY, BUT THEY FAIRLY UNFAIRLY FAVOR DEMOCRATS. AND SO SO AGAIN, I MEAN, AS IF IF THEY DECIDE TO PUSH FORWARD WITH THIS, THERE IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE SOME MESSAGING TO THE PUBLIC TO GET MORE FOLKS ON BOARD. OKAY. ABOUT 30S LEFT. SO I’LL ASK YOU TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE. IT’S ONE THING THAT STOOD OUT TO YOU IN THIS POLL THAT RESONATES. OH GOSH. OKAY, SO THE CONSISTENCY IS WHAT I ALWAYS SORT OF FOCUS IN ON. YOU KNOW, LOOKING ACROSS THE WHOLE YEAR OF ALL THE POLLING WE’VE DONE IN THE ENTIRE YEAR, TO ME, THE CONSISTENT MESSAGE FROM EVERYDAY PEOPLE IS LIKE, HOW BIG OF A DEAL THE COST OF LIVING IS. YEAH. AND YOU KNOW, AS A, AS A JUST A KIND OF ENDING NOTE FOR THE, THE ELECTION OF THE NEW SPEAKER, I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT. ONE OF HER MAJOR ISSUES IS HEALTH CARE. AND IT’S SOMETHING SHE’S BEEN REALLY, YOU KNOW, ON THE FRONT LINES ON. AND 77% OF MARYLANDERS THINK THAT THE COST OF HEALTH CARE IS THE THE HIGH PRIORITY FOR THE STATE. SO YOU HAVE A SPEAKER AT LEAST WITH THAT AREA OF EXPERTISE, YOU HEAR IT EVERYWHERE. AND YOU DID IN 30S. AMAZING. VE
11 TV Hill: UMBC Poll reveals 2026 priorities for Maryland politics
A new legislative session hasn’t yet begun, yet several big stories have already come out of Annapolis — including the election of a new House speaker, Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk. The Prince George’s County delegate is the first Afro-Latina to hold the title.A recent UMBC Poll reveals how Marylanders feel on several topics likely to come up in the next legislative session, from potential redistricting to Maryland’s budget deficit and even the Key Bridge rebuild.On Thursday night. Gov. Wes Moore’s redistricting commission signaled it will recommend new congressional maps. But this is causing a divide among Democratic leaders, some of whom don’t want the maps adjusted. Now, Marylanders will have two weeks to submit their ideas for consideration.The topic was one of the questions in the poll from UMBC’s Institute of Politics, whose director, Mileah Kromer, explained the findings on 11 TV Hill.
A new legislative session hasn’t yet begun, yet several big stories have already come out of Annapolis — including the election of a new House speaker, Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk. The Prince George’s County delegate is the first Afro-Latina to hold the title.
A recent UMBC Poll reveals how Marylanders feel on several topics likely to come up in the next legislative session, from potential redistricting to Maryland’s budget deficit and even the Key Bridge rebuild.
On Thursday night. Gov. Wes Moore’s redistricting commission signaled it will recommend new congressional maps. But this is causing a divide among Democratic leaders, some of whom don’t want the maps adjusted. Now, Marylanders will have two weeks to submit their ideas for consideration.
The topic was one of the questions in the poll from UMBC’s Institute of Politics, whose director, Mileah Kromer, explained the findings on 11 TV Hill.