In the hours after Rep. Steny Hoyer announced his retirement, the praise coming from elected leaders at all levels in the state of Maryland was like a tidal wave.
Democrats, and especially the ones from Prince George’s County, couldn’t stop gushing over the impact Hoyer had as a lawmaker and as a person.
“Steny Hoyer’s impact is immeasurable on the state of Maryland, on the United States of America, to all of us personally,” Gov. Wes Moore said.
He then told a story about his first interaction with Hoyer, which came well before the governor entered politics.
“I remember when I was deployed to Afghanistan,” Moore said. “I received a care package … one of the things in the care package was a flag, a Maryland flag, that was sent to me from Steny Hoyer. I did not know Steny Hoyer at that point. He just knew that a Marylander was protecting the country overseas. So he asked for a flag to be sent to that Marylander, who happened to be me.”
“He’s someone who has shown us what public service looks like,” Moore added, joking that Hoyer will get some “very well deserved time off. And frankly, knowing Steny Hoyer, I have no idea what retirement actually looks like. I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, a longtime friend of Hoyer’s, credited him with changing her life.
“He said to me years ago, ‘no matter what you run for, I am always going to be basically the first to support you. I will support any endeavor you undertake,’” Alsobrooks said in an interview with WTOP. “And that’s the penultimate of trust and belief is he felt that I was talented enough, and that I offered the kind of service that he felt he could support.”
She also noted how strong his support was among African American voters in Prince George’s County, and how much he treasured that trust Black voters put into him.
“Steny Hoyer is popular all around the state and the country, but he is beloved among African Americans,” she said. “You can see it in his annual Bull Roast that, routinely and without effort, calls out over 1,000 people, and many of them are African American families from Prince George’s County who have supported him in all 20 plus of his elections. And he noted that, and he thanked specifically the African American community for their solid support. And I think that was classy.”
She said because of that support, Maryland could count on Hoyer to deliver for the state.
“We always knew that in Steny, we had a staunch advocate,” Alsobrooks told WTOP. “We knew we had a person who would not only appear on our behalf, but would be prepared for whatever the issue was, that he would build whatever relationships were necessary for us to be successful.”
In a statement, Sen. Chris Van Hollen praised Hoyer.
“He never wavered in his focus on delivering results for his district and our state,” Van Hollen wrote. “From his efforts to secure federal support for important military bases like Naval Air Station Patuxent River to our institutions of higher learning, like the University of Maryland, to so much more — Steny is Team Maryland through and through.”
Rep. Glenn Ivey, whose district is adjacent to Hoyer’s, called Hoyer one of the “greats of all time” during an interview with WTOP.
“He’s had a huge impact, certainly on Prince George’s County in Maryland, but really the nation,” Ivey said. “There’s a lot to show for it within the congressional district. The federal courthouse, for example, was something that he put in place, helped to build out the University of Maryland. There’s a lot of activity that he’s done with respect to WMATA, building out the Metro system. The list goes on and on. So it’s a huge loss for not just Maryland, but for the nation.”
Ivey also noted the depth that Hoyer’s roots extend through the region.
“Three of my kids went to Judy P. Hoyer Elementary School,” Ivey said. “When they first met him, they called him Mr. Judy P. Hoyer, because his family’s had that kind of an impact across the board too.”
Maryland Third District Rep. Sarah Elfreth said her career in politics began with an internship in Hoyer’s office.
“From millions of dollars of investment in Prince George’s County and Southern Maryland to his work to uphold democratic values around the globe, you would be hard-pressed to find an issue he hasn’t led on,” she said.
Hoyer was born and raised in Prince George’s County and graduated from Suitland High School.
“He’s just been amazing with the resources that he’s been able to bring back to Prince George’s County and to the state of Maryland,” said Del. Nicole Williams, who chairs the Prince George’s County delegation in Annapolis. “We are really going to miss his leadership, but we’re also very happy for him in his retirement and wish him a lot of rest for all of his years of service.”
Prince George’s County Council member Wala Blegay, who may be interested in succeeding Hoyer in Washington, credited him with helping her make the contacts needed to get her political career off the ground, too.
“He just showed me what true constituent services (looked like) and how you how you actually go and meet people’s needs,” she said.
