After reading all of 'the reasons why', as a retired engineer I wanted some fact based answers. In Maryland only 5 of the 24 counties voted for "his highness". The Maryland population is 30% black. Those 5 counties make up over 65% of the total population, and are predominantly black. So, if the GOP wants to turn Maryland into a red state it has to garner a much higher percentage of the black vote. BTW: Maryland has many or more electoral vote as most of the so called swing states, so it is a prize that is easily won.