Maryland District 5 Former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker is a candidate in the crowded Democratic primary for Maryland’s 5th Congressional District. This race is to succeed the retiring longtime Representative Steny Hoyer. Why Baker Proposed the 15% Tax HikeIn 2015, Baker proposed a roughly 15% hike in the county’s property tax rate (and an $8 billion budget in total county and state spending context across the broader region later on).
The Reason: He earmarked the revenue exclusively to overhaul the struggling Prince George’s County public school system. He argued that raising teachers’ salaries, eliminating furloughs, and adding targeted academic programs would improve home values and make the county more attractive to businesses. The Result: The County Council strongly pushed back, stating the hike was unaffordable for residents, and instead passed a compromise budget with a much smaller 4% increase. Likelihood of Future Tax Increases: Whether he will raise taxes depends entirely on what legislative branch or level of government he serves in. During his recent congressional campaign, Baker has not focused on property tax increases, instead prioritizing policies to lower consumer and housing costs, protect Social Security, and strengthen Medicare. Furthermore, congressional representatives do not set local county property tax rates. Responsibility Change in Maryland District 5As a potential U.S. Representative for Maryland’s 5th District—which spans Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties, as well as portions of Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties—Baker’s responsibilities would shift from localized county executive duties to federal legislative duties.
Current/Past Local Duties: Managing county agencies, balancing the local budget, and overseeing county-wide economic development (such as the MGM National Harbor casino project). New Federal Responsibilities: Voting on national legislation, negotiating federal budgets, handling foreign policy, and utilizing congressional oversight powers to scrutinize federal agencies and executive actions.
If selected to represent Maryland’s 5th Congressional District—a seat long held by retiring Representative Steny Hoyer—his core responsibilities will include drafting and voting on federal legislation, overseeing federal agencies, and directly advocating for the needs of the district, which encompasses large federal installations like Joint Base Andrews and the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. Throughout his campaign, Baker has emphasized specific federal priorities, which indicate the types of legislation he intends to support and introduce:
Healthcare and Medical Research: Expanding healthcare affordability and pushing for legislation that strengthens medical research and lowers consumer costs. Veterans and Caregivers: Sponsoring bills to ensure timely access to VA healthcare, fair disability claims processing, and full benefits for historically underserved veterans. Support for Federal Workers: Protecting federal employees from furloughs, defending against government shutdowns, and pushing back against policies hostile to the federal workforce. You can follow his campaign and view his official policy platform at the Rushern Baker for Congress website.
I don’t know Rushern Baker personally but looking at his past records as a County Executive from 2010 to 2018, I give him a 2 out 3. His fiance, Kathy I do know personally and she is a trustworthy person, well respected in the community and she speaks very highly of Rushern Baker, which is to be expected.
I think during his time in Office, he lowered crime in Prince George’s County and supported the Rural Tier and helped create Plan Prince George’s County 2035 to preserve land in the rural areas and shift development in more populated areas of County and was responsible for the MGM coming to Nation Harbor. He also wanted to raise property taxes, I know and checked and found he proposed to raise property taxes 15% to fund the school system. Google was used for the below publications.
Baker strongly emphasized public safety and generally supported the police, citing a 50%+ drop in the county’s crime rate during his two terms. He created the Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative (TNI) to bring targeted police presence and social services to the county’s highest-need areas. However, his administration also had to navigate periods of intense scrutiny regarding police department misconduct, corruption scandals, and public demands for increased accountability.
Limiting Growth in Rural Areas Baker supported the preservation of the Rural Tier, which restricted dense development in favor of preserving agricultural land and open space. During his tenure, his administration and the Prince George’s County Planning Department implemented Plan Prince George’s 2035, which intentionally directed the county’s commercial growth and dense development into transit hubs and urban centers rather than rural or agricultural areas. Baker did not succeed in raising property taxes by the double-digit amounts he wanted, but he did sign off on the first property hike in over 30 years. In 2015, he proposed a massive 15.6% property tax increase explicitly earmarked to boost funding for public schools. After a fierce battle with the County Council, he settled on an 11.45% request, but the council ultimately overrode him and passed a compromise budget with a 4% increase.
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