Trump-backed Republican Dan Cox defeated Kelly Schulz, term-limited Gov. Larry Hogan’s pick, in the Maryland gubernatorial primary on Tuesday.
Cox, a state legislator who has battled with Hogan on a number of issues including his stay-at-home orders during the pandemic and other Covid-19 regulations, vowed that “We will never again give over our bodies, our churches and our businesses to a lockdown state,” during his victory speech.
The conservative’s win is being cheered not only by Trump, but by Democrats as well, who believe he will be an easier candidate to beat in November, with the Democratic Governors Association dumping more than “$1 million behind an ad intended to boost Cox,” according to the Associated Press.
The Democratic Governors Association funded Trump ally Dan Cox, with ads supporting his candidacy. They succeeded, as they have in other races helping “stop the steal” Republicans. Now comes the pivot to Democrats’ fall message: these candidates are threats to American democracy. https://t.co/f6mLvaXDdM
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) July 20, 2022
“Not over yet, but RINO Larry Hogan’s Endorsement doesn’t seem to be working out so well for his heavily favored candidate,” Trump said on Tuesday as results were coming in. “Next, I’d love to see Larry run for President!”
On the Democratic side, the race has not been called yet as mail-in ballots cannot be opened until the Thursday after Election Day, per Maryland law.
By Wednesday morning, Wes Moore, the former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, was ahead of former Democratic Party chair Tom Perez by about 10 points.