March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 43 F

Tom Perez, Former Obama Labor Secretary, DNC Chair Announces Bid for Maryland Governor

Tom Perez For Governor

Tom Perez For GovernorFormer Maryland Labor Secretary, Montgomery County Councilmember, Obama Labor Secretary and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Tom Perez launched his candidacy for Maryland Governor last week, kicking off a tour of the state and releasing a video on how he will deliver for Maryland:

“I’m the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic. I could have never dreamed the President of the United States would give me the chance to make a difference,” Tom states in the launch video. “But there’s a lot left to do – and that’s why I’m running for Governor — to build a Maryland where our kids have equal opportunity no matter what ZIP code they live in…A Maryland where every person who wants a job can find one…A Maryland where workers have a voice and small businesses can thrive…it would be an honor to be your next Governor.”

Tom will kick off the tour in downtown Silver Spring, where he will receive an endorsement from former Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, followed by an event in Baltimore City, where Senator Cory McCray will endorse him. Tom will spend the week visiting Prince George’s County, Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore.

The launch video starts with Tom alongside a garbage truck, a nod to one of the jobs he held to pay for his college education. It also includes appearances from former colleagues, his daughter Amalia, former President Obama, all chronicling his experience in Maryland fighting for working families and at the Department of Justice fighting police brutality and racism while remaining a constant presence for his family at home in Maryland.

In 2006, Tom was the first Latino elected to the Montgomery County Council, leading efforts to protect immigrant rights and expand opportunity for residents of the county. During Tom’s tenure as Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation, he implemented the nation’s first statewide living wage law, fought corporate wage theft, and rebuilt the agency to protect homeowners across the state facing foreclosure and fraud, making the state a national bellwether for accountability early in the housing crisis.

President Obama then appointed Tom to lead the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, where he rebuilt the division, increasing the number of lawsuits against discriminatory lending practices, securing over $600 million in settlements from major lending corporations. Tom worked to rebuild community trust in police departments and the communities they serve, and used the DOJ’s pattern or practice authority to conduct top-to-bottom reviews of a number of police departments, including investigating police misconduct and excessive use of force in the New Orleans Police Department that uncovered systemic violations of civil rights and led to sweeping reforms.

The video includes footage of President Obama calling Tom “one of the best Secretaries of Labor in our history.” Obama said “He is tireless, he is wicked smart….if you look at his body of work on behalf of working people, he has been extraordinary.”

During his tenure as Labor Secretary, Tom enforced laws protecting workers on the job, advocated for nationwide paid sick and family leave, and created more than 125,000 apprenticeship opportunities. Tom fought for fairer wages, spearheading efforts to protect workers’ retirement savings and to ensure overtime protections. He also helped resolve a massive six-week Verizon strike involving over 37,000 employees. They reached an agreement that included protections and benefits for Verizon’s retail workers.

Tom most recently served as DNC Chair where he worked to rebuild the party that helped Democrats take back the U.S. House, U.S. Senate and the White House.

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