Christopher Hearsey

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Christopher Hearsey

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 26, 2018

Education

Bachelor's

Temple University

Graduate

American University

Other

University of North Dakota

Contact

Personal website

Personal Twitter

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Christopher Hearsey (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Maryland's 6th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on June 26, 2018.

Click here for more information on the June 26 Democratic primary election. Click here for more information on the November 6 general election.

Biography

Hearsey earned a bachelor's degree in mathematical economics and political science from Temple University in 2006, a master's degree from American University School of Public Affairs in 2008, a master's degree in from the University of North Dakota's Space Studies program in 2015, and a J.D. from the University of Mississippi in 2013. Hearsey’s career experience includes working as an aerospace executive and research scientist. He served as the director of legislative affairs for Bigelow Aerospace and is the former chairman of the board of the Astrosociology Research Institute.

Elections

2018

See also: Maryland's 6th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Maryland District 6

David Trone defeated Amie Hoeber, Kevin Caldwell, and George Gluck in the general election for U.S. House Maryland District 6 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Trone (D)	59.0	163,346
		Amie Hoeber (R)	38.0	105,209
		Kevin Caldwell (L)	1.8	4,972
		George Gluck (G)	1.2	3,275
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	282

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 277,084 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Ted Athey (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Maryland District 6

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Maryland District 6 on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Trone	40.0	24,103
		Aruna Miller	30.7	18,524
		Nadia Hashimi	10.5	6,304
		Roger Manno	10.4	6,257
		Andrew Duck	4.9	2,949
		Chris Graves	1.6	982
		George English	1.1	650
		Christopher Hearsey	0.9	531

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 60,300
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Maryland District 6

Amie Hoeber defeated Lisa Lloyd, Kurt Elsasser, and Brad Rohrs in the Republican primary for U.S. House Maryland District 6 on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amie Hoeber	67.8	19,571
		Lisa Lloyd	17.8	5,144
		Kurt Elsasser	8.7	2,526
		Brad Rohrs	5.7	1,641

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 28,882
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2018

“	Internet Infrastructure Growing up and living in small towns, I know first-hand how access to necessary infrastructure and utilities is important to the growth and success of communities like those across western Maryland. Too often, small and rural communities are left behind. I understand that access to the internet is necessary to participate in the American economy. The telecommunications infrastructure that gets you online is among the single most important utilities of the modern age. The internet is an indispensable tool for finding a job, searching and buying affordable goods and services, communication, information exchange, entertainment, collaboration, and social and political change. As an aerospace executive, I have seen the promise that emerging wireless broadband holds to driving down prices while increasing access globally. Among my highest priorities will be to ensure that innovative technologies make it to your home as fast as possible. I will also fight to modernize the existing fiber optic infrastructure so that western Maryland can take full advantage of today’s economy and never be left behind. Healthcare When I was seventeen years old, I suffered devastating head and back injuries while playing hockey. Luckily, my mother’s employer offered health insurance and I was able to get the appropriate medical care, but the medical bills did pile up and it took me another decade to pay off the debt. In fact, my trouble did not end with the initial injury. In my adult life it became difficult to obtain adequate health insurance because of my preexisting condition. I was a struggling college student working sixty hours a week across several part time jobs and my preexisting injury effectively priced me out of the health insurance marketplace. Had I gotten sick or injured again, it is quite possible that medical bills would have consumed my future. The Affordable Care Act ended this inequity and finally gave me and millions of Americans a chance to break free from the cycle of debt that our health insurance market tends to incentivize. But the costs of healthcare are still an ongoing problem that needs fixing. We must find a way to reduce the cost of administering such an important but expensive program so that that the country can forever afford to provide its citizen the opportunity to live healthy, happy, and productive lives. We owe it to all Americans to stabilize the insurance market and find innovative solutions to drive down the cost of healthcare across the board. In Congress, I will fight for solutions that help working families deal with the financial burden of healthcare costs. I know first-hand how unanticipated medical expenses can quickly spiral out of control leaving you vulnerable. I will commit myself to the development of a national healthcare system that is modern, responsive, dependable, and affordable to all. I will push against the continuous patchwork of ineffective, ideological proposals. I will not participate in the "my way or the highway" attitude in Congress. I will listen to Marylanders, and health system experts, not lobbyists. Above all, I will put Maryland first. The Opioid Epidemic Opioid addiction is one of the most destructive forces currently plaguing the United States, with few Marylanders (or Americans) unaffected by the crisis - including myself. As a young man, I watched my father overdose on opioids right in front of me. I lost my own father to this crisis, but I do not want another child to lose their parent, which is happening all too often, day after day, as this crisis continues. While I respect and believe in the appropriate use of our criminal justice system, opioid crimes (particularly those committed by addicts instead of dealers) are a symptom, not the disease. Addiction is the disease, and we must treat it as such. Research is showing that states that have legalized marijuana dispensaries see reductions in opioid abuse. In addition, those who suffer from chronic pain report being able to resume daily activities while using medical marijuana to control their symptoms. We must carefully consider the costs of continuing to treat a drug with legitimate medical uses and a relatively low risk of addiction as illegal and having no medical value, while extremely potent opioids, which are legitimately dangerous and lead to deaths every day, are prescribed daily by doctors. Legalizing marijuana dispensaries will not heal the hurts that have been dealt to our citizens during this crisis. However, finding patients alternatives to control their chronic pain and other symptoms of disease is vital to loosening the stranglehold that opioids currently have on our country. National & State Parks Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns called our National Parks, “America’s Best Idea”, and I could not agree more. I have taken Amtrak from Montgomery County to Glacier National Park in Montana. I have traveled to the battlefields, trails, and other historical sites of our region. To me, the parks are not just another line item on the federal budget, they are an enduring testament to American history and its values. I believe that our state and national parks are now and should forever remain the birthright of every American. Regrettably, the National Park Service is facing one if its greatest threats in its 100-year history. It is a crisis of neglect that has taken the form of deferred maintenance projects, insufficient funding, and a Congress and Administration that pays lip-service to these issues. The National Park Service maintains more than 75,000 assets across the country, including campgrounds, natural lands, historic trails, irrigation and electrical systems, as well as thousands of miles of roads. Of these, 41,000 – or more than half – need repairs. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers 2017 Report Card, Maryland needs almost $80 million to repair much of its park system. This includes fixing trails, restrooms, and other non-transportation facilities. In Congress, I will fight to protect the legacy of our state and national parks and ensure that access remains affordable for all Americans. I believe it is fundamentally important to preserve the low cost all access passes that provide entry to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites. I will fight to preserve the best deal in government, an $80 lifetime access pass for senior citizens, and to ensure that veterans never have to pay to visit any public lands. We must preserve the promise of our forebears to manage and conserve the public lands for the benefit of the people in our generation, and for all generations that follow. Science & Technology Science is what makes everything we do as a society possible. From growing safer, more efficient, more nutritious crops to space exploration and everything in between, science has influenced every facet of modern life. It has also made this country competitive in the global marketplace, and this is a position that we must maintain. If we do not support research and development, we will fall behind in the global marketplace and our children will not be prepared for the economic shocks sure to come our way in the future. From biotechnology to the Goddard Space Center, science is integral to Maryland’s well-being, and programs at Hood College, Mount Saint Mary’s, Frostburg State University, and across the University of Maryland system play a role in training the scientists of the future. I pledge to support science, from education to research and development to applied technologies, as part of my push to prepare Maryland for the 21st Century. . Economy and Job Growth Maryland’s economy must be prepared for the jobs and challenges of the future. The 21st century economy is going to be fundamentally different from the economies we have seen before. Increasingly, Americans are required to have access to technology to participate in the economy. As in past generations, we must prepare for these technological changes so that Marylanders can prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, because they are quickly becoming the jobs of today. Technology innovations in manufacturing was the driver of the economy for decades. Now, coding is fast becoming the new blue-collar job, though we should not ignore the need for people who can fix technology when it breaks down. Without access to the internet, technology, and job training, we run the risk of leaving more and more Marylanders behind. These fixes are also not one size fits all. Different communities will have different needs requiring different skill sets, and so these solutions must be adapted. Maryland must aspire to build its own Silicon Valley. The tech corridor off I-270 can and will continue to grow and attract more medical and space technology companies, especially with Maryland’s business-friendly tax structure. In addition, Maryland boasts access to seaports, airports, and a spaceport that can transport the goods and services of the future for the benefit of Marylanders today. All we need is political leadership that understands and will prepare Marylanders for these economic challenges. I will work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure that Marylanders have the access to the technology, services, and training they need to take advantage of the opportunities that we know are coming. Veterans Issues The men and women who devote their lives to serve the United States to preserve our security and keep the peace should be honored and respected. When called upon, they defend the liberties and rights enshrined in our Constitution. For their sacrifice, as dutifully acknowledged by President Lincoln, we must uphold our solemn promise “to care for [all] who shall have borne the battle and for [the] widow, and [the] orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” The men and women who volunteered to risk their lives did so believing that we would care for them, and that is a promise we cannot break. I believe that the VA system needs to be modernized and streamlined, that we need to ensure our veterans can effectively access VA services, and that we continue to improve how we diagnose and treat combat-related injuries, especially Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Twenty-two veterans take their own lives every day, and this is simply twenty-two too many. To the estimated 380,000 veterans in Maryland, I will do everything I can to make sure that we keep our promises to you, and that I give you a voice on Capitol Hill. Space Policy Those who came before us made certain that our country rode the first waves of the industrial revolution, the first waves of modern invention, and the first waves of exploration. In partnership with government, American industry is rapidly developing the tools and technology needed to compete deep into the 21st Century. In recent years, we have witnessed some extraordinary developments in the history of spaceflight. From the development of reusable rockets to the emergence of a thriving commercial market for space launch and space-based services. Across the nation space businesses are leading the way- bringing together the talent, technology and capital for a new space industrial renaissance that will benefit all of us here on Earth. The key to generating hundreds of billions of dollars in new economic activity derived from space-based products and services is to send forward thinking leaders to Washington who understand the potential of these revolutionary technologies. Maryland has a long history of reaping the benefits from the aerospace industry and should not be left behind in the coming technological revolution. In Congress, I will work to ensure that western Marylanders take full advantage of the opportunities that new aerospace jobs and businesses will offer in the coming wave of aerospace industrialization. Blockchain Like manufacturing jobs of the 20th century, coding is becoming the blue-collar job of the 21st century. For the last thirty years, computer science education has transformed from utilizing clunky programming languages to training cybersecurity professionals who rely on sophisticated code to protect digital information. The programming code that underlies our economy today is evolving towards a new code called blockchain, which represents cryptographically secure code that catalogues information through links across computer networks. Cybersecurity in the information age is paramount to the growth and success of America’s economy, but blockchain technology adds integrity to transactions between people by building time-stamped information from one block of information to the next. This prevents manipulation of information by another user and increases the trust one can have in the information sent or received as well as the contents of the underlying transaction, for example in the exchange of money, processing medical or financial records, or executing contracts. So, what does this mean for Marylanders? More efficient and effective use of your time and money. Maryland has always been a leader in America’s financial security. Embracing the use of blockchain technology is already underway by businesses across Maryland and American banking institutions are slowly embracing the technology. Why? Because blockchain technology has the potential to mitigate or end medical and financial fraud, eliminate many costs of doing business, and streamline the contracting for goods and services. For almost a decade, millions of people have embraced investing in what are called cryptocurrencies. The code that enables a store or record of value underlying a cryptocurrency is the blockchain. I fully support investment in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, and others as instruments of value in which people invest. I believe that more should be done to protect the rights of cryptocurrency investors and the Congress should investigate how best blockchain technology could support increased efficiency and security of the American economy in the 21st century. Climate Change The scientific evidence is overwhelming and irrefutable that human activities contribute to climate change.We must act to reduce the impact of human activities on our environment. I will not debate the science with those who use talking points over evidence. There is enough evidence for us to take it as fact. But we can and should debate how to best reduce our impact and protect our planet for future generations. If we fail, we damage the environment, perhaps irreparably, for future generations. I pledge to work with my colleagues in Congress to protect the future for Marylanders and our children. Without addressing the problem of climate change now, Marylanders will continue to suffer property damage, illness, loss of life, and degraded economic security to the trends of extreme weather events caused by increased greenhouse gasses. Immigration Our country is a nation of immigrants. At least nine of the founding fathers were immigrants, including Alexander Hamilton who immigrated to America as an adolescent in search of better opportunities. Like many Marylanders and Americans, I come from a family of immigrants. My great grandparents immigrated to the US from Hungary and England early last century. My mother in law came to this country from communist Poland on a scholarship and devoted her life to teaching US and World History to English as a Second Language students in the Connecticut public school system. Immigrants are our friends, classmates, neighbors, and coworkers. They pay taxes, billions of dollars in taxes, supporting federal programs and services they are ineligible to receive. I want to see comprehensive immigration reform that affords these amazing and hardworking people a path to citizenship, one that increases the pool of H1-B visas and reverses the brain drain we have seen in recent years. I do not believe that we should give violent criminals a path to citizenship, but those who show that they want to be productive members of American society should be allowed to build their lives here and contribute to our economy. And there is no group of immigrants for whom this is truer than those who did not choose to come here - DACA recipients deserve to have Congress come up with a solution, not to be used as pawns in a political trade for an ineffective and expensive border wall constructed at taxpayer expense. I promise to work with my colleagues in Congress to protect Dreamers and to construct comprehensive immigration reform to prepare Maryland for the challenges of the 21st century economy. National Defense Defense should be part of a smart foreign policy that prioritizes diplomacy over destruction. When diplomacy fails, our military must buy more bullets. This balance has been with America since the beginning. The eagle on the Great Seal of the United States holds an olive branch in its right talons, and arrows in the left, to symbolize our desire for peace but readiness for war. I, too, believe that we should always strive to find solutions that do not needlessly spend the lives of Americans, but we should stand ready to defend freedom and resist oppression, wherever it takes root. The brave action and selfless sacrifices of our men and women in uniform does not give the Department of Defense a free pass. I support auditing the DoD and ensuring that our dollars are responsibly and effectively spent. Defense research has led to many valuable contributions to technology, medicine, and American life, and I want these to continue. But Congress is tasked with the oversight of federal agencies, and it is the duty of that body to investigate fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. I will advocate for Congress’ role in fulfilling its duties and ensuring that the olive branch takes a more prominent global role than the arrows. For history has shown that when conflict assumes the prominent role in global affairs economic security fails and with it global leadership and peace. America must continue to live up to its ideals . . Agriculture The average American is five generations removed from farming, but that makes the agriculture and livestock industries no less vital to the fabric of American life. While less than 2% of Americans are farmers, the food produced by American farmers fuels the nation to invent, innovate, and create the world of the future. While the average farm size in the United States is over 400 acres, the average farm size in Maryland is 166 acres, with the most common farms comprised of less than 50 acres. The small farmer is the backbone of Maryland agriculture, and there are threats to their way of life. From automation of farming practices to conglomeration to environmental taxes, the modern farmer must contend with more complex challenges today than ever before, in addition to maintaining food production in a changing climate. We must support our farmers and livestock producers to ensure that they can continue to feed their families and the rest of Maryland and the United States. We must find more effective and efficient ways to use technology to the advantage of small and big farms alike to reduce the costs of farming and doing business while reducing the burdens and costs of operation. We must ensure that our farms in Maryland have access to the tools they need to succeed and continue to bring their crops to market. .	”
—Chris Hearsey for Congress

See also

• United States House of Representatives
• Maryland's 6th Congressional District election, 2018
• Maryland's 6th Congressional District

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Campaign website
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Footnotes

[show]

Maryland's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Ben Cardin (D)

Chris Hollen (D)

Representatives

District 1

Andrew Harris (R)

District 2

Dutch Ruppersberger (D)

District 3

John Sarbanes (D)

District 4

Glenn Ivey (D)

District 5

Steny Hoyer (D)

District 6

David Trone (D)

District 7

Kweisi Mfume (D)

District 8

Jamie Raskin (D)

Democratic Party (9)

Republican Party (1)