Rushern Baker III

Rushern Baker III was born in Valdosta, Georgia. He served in the U.S. Army from 1987 to 2001. He earned a bachelor's degree from Howard University in 1982 and a law degree from Howard University in 1986. His career experience includes working as a principal at the Baker Strategy Group.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Rushern Baker is a proud father of three children, who he raised with the great love of his life, Christa Beverly. In September 2021, Christa passed away after a long battle with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. She spent her life fighting for racial justice, equitable funding for HBCUs, and more. “Cis”, as her family and friends called her, inspired Rushern to first run for office and he continues to dedicate his life’s work to her and her legacy of activism.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Communities cannot function when they don’t feel safe. All people deserve to feel safe; safe when they go to work, school, places of worship, and as they go about their daily lives. Experience tells us that the key to unlocking public safety is healing underlying root causes and creating unique approaches tailored to the specific needs of each jurisdiction. The Transforming Maryland Initiative (TMI) is our answer. However, we also know a crisis when we see one, and that’s exactly what is happening in Baltimore with the killing of mostly young, Black men. This will end with our administration.Our number one priority is to fulfill the promise of excellence we’ve made to each Maryland child by fully funding The Blueprint for Maryland’s future. As career-long champions of education, we are committed to being caretakers of this plan to ensure the bold funding goals are met and that each initiative is properly executed. The Blueprint’s focus on equity, enrichment, innovation, and inclusion means investing in our students and educators today to create an acclaimed education system for tomorrow.It shouldn’t take a global pandemic to wake us up to the inequities of our healthcare system. For years, we have struggled with rising costs and, in many parts of our state, accessing quality care is next to impossible. Healthcare is a human right and our system is broken. We believe the best solution is to implement a single-payer Medicare for All program in Maryland in which the state would provide high-quality care at affordable costs. We must also address the major provider shortage we’re facing by ensuring nurses, physicians, and PAs are fairly compensated, treated with respect, and well-supplied with the resources they need to do their jobs.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Mr. Baker started his career on the local school boards of his children's public schools, and his passion for ensuring quality education has stuck with him throughout his time in public service. He considers good schools to be the cornerstone of any government, and has produce results at both the State and local level that put this passion into practice.