Rushern Baker, a former Prince George’s County executive, announced he has suspended his campaign, though he is still appearing on the ballot. Jon Baron, a former nonprofit executive, and Ashwani Jain, a former official in Obama’s administration, also are running. “In order to do that we need a candidate who’s going to inspire folks across the Democratic Party, and particularly inspire young people, people of color and people who are outraged by the Supreme Court decisions on abortion access and gun safety, and I think I’m the best positioned to do that,” King said. King, a progressive Democrat, said he believes the party has a great opportunity to flip the governor’s office. “In order to truly fight climate change and bring back the Chesapeake Bay, we need to have a Democrat in office, and we cannot commit political suicide again by electing a Democrat in the primary who cannot win in the general election,” Gansler said.
Anthony Brown, who went on to lose to Hogan, said the past two elections have illustrated the dangers of choosing a Democrat who is too liberal. Gansler, who lost the Democratic primary in 2014 to then-Lt. “I think that should have been done immediately,” Franchot said. For example, he recently blocked a request to accelerate $3.5 million in annual spending for training to expand the number of people who can provide abortions in the state.įranchot, who has kept an amiable working relationship with Hogan on a powerful state spending panel with three voting members, had urged Hogan to release the money. While Democrats who control Maryland’s legislature have been able to override many of Hogan’s vetoes over the years, the governor has had impact. “There are so many ways that we can set example for the rest of the country, and I think Maryland is one of the top opportunities to flip a seat from red to blue,” Perez said. Perez, who also served as assistant attorney general for civil rights during the Obama administration and was a county council member in Maryland’s most populous jurisdiction in the suburbs of the nation’s capital, said it’s more important than ever for states to set the tone on crucial issues such as job creation, clean energy, health care and reproductive health. “Governors matter in this moment, now more than ever before, because governors are really a last line of defense that many constituents are going to have against just barbaric rulings that we’re seeing from this Supreme Court,” Moore told The Associated Press. Moore, a former Army combat veteran who served in Afghanistan and former CEO of a national anti-poverty group, said the high court’s rulings have illustrated how “massively important” it is for Democrats to regain the governor’s office.
“We’ve got to keep Republicans away from the Statehouse,” said Doug McLaine, 78, who voted early in Annapolis for Moore and expressed concern about the gun ruling as the nation confronts a wave of mass shootings. The primary winner will probably face either Kelly Schulz, a Republican endorsed by Hogan, or Dan Cox, who is backed by Donald Trump.
That’s attracted prominent Democrats to Tuesday’s primary, including members of former President Barack Obama’s Cabinet: onetime Labor Secretary Tom Perez, who also was chairman of the Democratic Party, and ex-Education Secretary John King.Īlso in the race are Wes Moore, a bestselling author supported by Oprah Winfrey Comptroller Peter Franchot, the state’s tax collector, who has name recognition in Maryland from four successful statewide races and former state Attorney General Doug Gansler. Maryland Democrats see an opening now because the popular Hogan, only the second Republican governor to win reelection in the state history, cannot seek a third term. Of the 36 governor’s races this year, Maryland and Massachusetts represent the best chances for Democrats to narrow the gap.
Nationwide, Republicans hold a 28-22 edge in governor’s seats. Winning back the seat shouldn’t seem so tough for Democrats in a state where they outnumber Republicans by a 2-1 ratio, but the GOP has won three of the past five elections. (AP) - One of the best opportunities for Democrats to regain a governor’s office this year is in Maryland, and the race to succeed term-limited Republican Larry Hogan has drawn a crowd of candidates.
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