Steve Patten
RepublicanQ1 Maryland residents are facing sharply rising electricity bills driven by a combination of power plant retirements, surging market prices, and rapidly growing demand (including from the proliferation of data centers across the region). If elected, what specific steps will you take to address the causes of high energy costs for Maryland residents and businesses, including data centers?
“Maryland needs an energy policy built around affordability, reliability, and abundance. For too long, the State has reduced reliable in-state generation while increasing mandates and costs, leaving Maryland increasingly dependent on electricity generated elsewhere. I would support restoring and expanding reliable in-state generation through an all-of-the-above strategy that includes nuclear power, including small modular reactors, natural gas, and renewable sources where they are economically and operationally viable. I would also review taxes, fees, and mandates that unnecessarily increase consumers’ electricity bills and oppose policies that prematurely retire reliable generating capacity. Data centers present both economic opportunities and significant energy challenges. They should not be permitted to place enormous new demands on an already constrained grid while shifting the resulting generation, transmission, and infrastructure costs to Maryland families and existing businesses. Large-load users should bear the costs they create, and I support policies that encourage data centers to provide or contract for new dedicated generation, including co-located natural gas or nuclear power. Maryland should welcome innovation and economic development, but new demand should be accompanied by new supply. Increasing generation while protecting existing ratepayers is essential to making electricity more affordable and reliable.”
Q2 Since early 2025, Maryland has lost nearly 25,000 federal jobs (more than any other state) as funding cuts to federal agencies including the NIH, NASA, and NIST take effect. How would you approach strengthening Maryland’s economy, and what steps would you take to ensure that workers across different roles and education levels benefit from those efforts?
“Maryland has benefited enormously from its proximity to the federal government and institutions such as NIH, NASA, and NIST, but our economy should not be overly dependent on federal employment or spending. We need a stronger, more diverse private-sector economy that can create opportunity regardless of changes in Washington. That begins with making Maryland a more competitive place to start, grow, and operate a business. We should reduce unnecessary regulatory barriers, maintain reliable and affordable energy, exercise fiscal discipline, and encourage investment in industries where Maryland has significant strengths, including biotechnology, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, energy, and technology. Workforce development must also recognize that a four-year college degree is not the only path to a successful career. I support stronger partnerships among employers, community colleges, career and technical education programs, and apprenticeship programs so students and workers can gain skills that lead directly to available jobs. Maryland should expand opportunities to earn while learning and make it easier for workers to retrain as industries change. Economic growth should create pathways for scientists and engineers, skilled tradespeople, technicians, healthcare workers, entrepreneurs, and workers entering the workforce without a college degree. The goal should be a Maryland economy with more opportunities and more pathways to reach them.”
Q3 Maryland faces public health challenges ranging from stark socioeconomic health disparities, a behavioral health and opioid crisis that disproportionately impacts communities of color, gaps in rural mental health access, and a strained public health infrastructure. What evidence-based policies do you support to improve community health for your constituents?
“Public health policy should be guided by reliable evidence, measurable outcomes, and the needs of individual communities rather than one-size-fits-all mandates from Annapolis. In Carroll County, access is particularly important. Rural communities can face shortages of behavioral health professionals, transportation barriers, and difficulty obtaining timely mental health and substance-use treatment. I support strong partnerships among local health departments, hospitals, behavioral health providers, schools, first responders, nonprofits, and other community organizations so people can access care closer to home. The opioid crisis requires both compassion and accountability. Maryland should support approaches demonstrated to save lives and help people reach recovery, including prevention and education, effective treatment, overdose-reversal medications such as naloxone, and recovery services. Programs receiving taxpayer dollars should also be evaluated for measurable results so resources go toward approaches that work. Good public health policy should use sound science as a tool, measure results honestly, protect individual liberty, and give local communities flexibility to address their particular needs.”
Q4 Across the state of Maryland, science and STEM education cultivate interest at a lower rate than intended, too few community-college students successfully transfer and complete bachelor’s degrees, and college affordability remains vulnerable to shifts in federal student aid and support. What evidence-based policies do you support to build a strong science and STEM pipeline from public schools and K-12 programs through colleges and universities for the next generation of Marylanders?
“A strong STEM pipeline begins by giving students opportunities to discover science, technology, engineering, and mathematics early and then providing multiple pathways to turn those interests into careers. Maryland should strengthen hands-on STEM learning, career and technical education, dual enrollment, apprenticeships, and partnerships among local schools, community colleges, universities, and employers. Students should be able to see how what they learn in the classroom connects to real careers in fields such as engineering, healthcare, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, and energy. Community colleges are especially important. Maryland should make transferring credits to four-year institutions as predictable and seamless as possible so students do not lose time or money repeating coursework. We should also expand opportunities for students to earn college credits or industry-recognized credentials while still in high school. Finally, success should be measured by student outcomes, not simply by how much Maryland spends. State policy should give local school systems flexibility to develop programs that reflect their students, communities, and regional workforce needs while maintaining high academic standards.”
Q5 What policies, if any, do you support or envision for managing land-based resources in your district (i.e. water, open-space preserves, parks)?
“Carroll County’s open space, farmland, waterways, and rural character are among our greatest assets, and protecting them should be done in partnership with the people who live and work on the land. I support continued investment in voluntary agricultural land preservation programs, which have helped Carroll County preserve more than 81,000 acres while respecting private property rights. Protecting productive farmland also supports our agricultural economy and helps preserve the character of our communities. Water resources require responsible long-term stewardship as well. State and local policy should protect drinking water, streams, groundwater, and watersheds using sound science, while working cooperatively with farmers, landowners, municipalities, and conservation organizations rather than relying unnecessarily on one-size-fits-all mandates. I also support maintaining parks and public open spaces for recreation and future generations. Decisions involving land use, conservation, and development should remain primarily local, where officials and residents best understand the needs, resources, and character of their communities. Good stewardship means balancing conservation, property rights, agriculture, recreation, and responsible economic growth.”
Q6 What advisory mechanisms will you implement to ensure that evidence and scientific findings play a crucial role in your policymaking process?
“I believe good policymaking begins with recognizing what you do not know. When an issue comes before me where I have limited knowledge or experience, my first step is to seek out people who understand it. That means reviewing credible research and data, consulting subject-matter experts, and listening directly to the people who will be affected by the policy. I want to hear from scientists, engineers, physicians, educators, farmers, business owners, tradespeople, local officials, and others with relevant knowledge depending on the issue. Just as importantly, I want to hear from people in Carroll County who live with the practical consequences of the decisions made in Annapolis. As a legislator, I would also use the nonpartisan research and analysis available through Maryland’s Department of Legislative Services and testimony presented during the legislative process. Scientific evidence should play an important role in policymaking, but evidence does not eliminate the need for judgment. Policymakers must also consider costs, unintended consequences, individual liberty, and local circumstances. My approach is to ask questions, seek reliable evidence, listen to knowledgeable people and those directly affected, and then make the best-informed decision I can.”
Q7 What initiatives will you take to support investment in innovation via federal science funding?
“Maryland has tremendous scientific and technological assets, including world-class universities, research institutions, federal laboratories, and a highly skilled workforce. State policy should help create an environment where those strengths can produce new discoveries, businesses, jobs, and opportunities. I support targeted public investment in scientific research and innovation when there is a clear public purpose, particularly foundational research, research partnerships, and infrastructure that can produce benefits beyond what individual companies are likely to fund on their own. Government can also help connect universities, community colleges, research institutions, entrepreneurs, and private industry so promising ideas have pathways from research to practical application. At the same time, government funding should not be measured simply by how much money is spent. Programs should have defined objectives, transparency, appropriate oversight, and measurable results. Wherever possible, public investment should leverage rather than replace private investment. Maryland should encourage innovation by combining responsible research investment with affordable energy, a skilled workforce, reasonable regulation, and a competitive business environment that allows discoveries made here to become businesses and jobs here.”