Today's Maryland Primary
(summary from Gabe Fleischer's WAKE UP TO POLITICS)
Maryland Governor (D): It may be a deep-blue state in presidential years, but the governor’s mansion in Maryland has been occupied by a Republican — the popular, moderate Larry Hogan — for the past seven years. Hogan is now term-limited, and Democrats are hungry to retake the governorship for themselves: a crowded field has emerged, all seeking to replace him.
The limited polling available shows a split race between four interesting candidates, including two onetime members of the Obama Cabinet: former Education Secretary John King Jr. and former Labor Secretary Tom Perez, who also served as chairman of the national Democratic Party during the Trump years.
Rounding out the field are State Comptroller Peter Franchot and Wes Moore, the best-selling author of “The Other Wes Moore,” a 2010 tome describing the divergent life paths taken by him and an imprisoned drug dealer with his name who grew up not far away. Moore has notched the endorsement of Oprah Winfrey, but he’s also faced allegations of exaggerating his biography.
Maryland Governor (R): Meanwhile, the Republican race to succeed Hogan has — like many GOP contests this year — turned into a proxy battle revolving around former President Donald Trump.
Hogan’s choice is Kelly Schulz, who served both as the state’s Labor Secretary and then as Commerce Secretary earlier in the Hogan administration. If elected, she would be Maryland’s first female governor.
Trump, meanwhile, is promoting Daniel Cox, a member of the state House of Delegates who has backed the former president’s false election fraud theories and chartered three buses to take Trump supporters to Washington on January 6, 2021.
The race is seen as an early test of strength between Trump and Hogan, who could find themselves competing for the Republican presidential nod in 2024. One added component: Democrats have poured $1.2 million in the race to try to boost Cox, continuing their risky strategy of promoting far-right GOP primary candidates. Democrats view Schulz, a candidate in Hogan’s mold, as a more formidable general election opponent.
Former Democratic Party chairman Tom Perez is seeking the Maryland governorship.
Maryland’s 4th congressional district (D): Democratic Rep. Anthony Brown is retiring to run for state Attorney General, creating a competitive campaign to replace him. The Democratic primary, between former Rep. Donna Edwards — who held the seat until 2017 — and former state’s attorney Glenn Ivey has grown into an unexpectedly expensive battle over Israel policy.
A super PAC tied to AIPAC, a prominent pro-Israel organization, has spent $5.9 million to promote Ivey, its largest sum in any race this year. The group opposes Edwards due to stances she took while in Congress the first time, including a 2009 vote abstaining on a resolution “recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza.”
Edwards boats the support of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as an Israel advocacy group of her own: the more liberal J Street. The primary is one of several Democratic contests this year where groups like AIPAC have spent heavily to try to push the party in a more pro-Israel direction, as some left-wing Democrats have grown more vocal in criticizing the Jewish state.
Maryland’s 6th congressional district (R): This is the only House race in Maryland seen as remotely competitive in November, after redistricting made the seat — held by Democratic Rep. David Trone, a wealthy businessman who has spent millions on his own races — more comfortable territory for Republicans.
Attention in the GOP primary to face Trone has revolved around Matthew Foldi, a 25-year-old former conservative journalist who has united both Trump and Hogan behind him.
But Trone’s national chops might not be enough for him to win: per Politico, many local Republican leaders are sticking with a more seasoned alternative, state legislator Neil Parrott, Trone’s 2020 rival.
