Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
Tuesday was a good night for former President Donald Trump, as his Midas-touch endorsement continued to prove effective. In the Maryland primary, the candidate the former president backed for governor won the GOP bid over the chosen successor of outgoing moderate Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.
The result in Maryland, a state that tends to lean Democrat and moderate, was another telling indicator of the powerful influence Trump still has on the Republican party. Dan Cox, a conservative state legislator who does not accept the 2020 presidential election results as valid, easily defeated Kelly Schulz, a moderate and Hogan’s pick to carry on his legacy. Cox captured 56.2% of the vote, compared to Schulz’s 40.3% of the vote. Two other Republican candidates were in the field, but neither received more than 3% of the vote.
Although not all votes have been counted, and won’t be until likely Thursday, it is mathematically unlikely, though strictly speaking not impossible, that Cox will lose his lead.
Cox had little time for platitudes, or even lengthy remarks, Tuesday night. On Twitter, he posted simply “WE WON” alongside pictures from his victory celebration.
WE WON. pic.twitter.com/ZJgugZbwFA
— Dan Cox 🇺🇸 🦅- Delegate & Candidate for Governor (@DanCoxEsq) July 20, 2022
Later in the night, Cox tweeted a “thank you” graphic as well.
Earlier this year, Cox discussed his 5-point plan with Sam Case of FISM News, that outlined the platform which helped secure his nomination.
According to reporting from the Baltimore Sun, Schulz was not quite ready to concede.
“As all of you know, right now, we are behind in this race. But it is not over,” Schulz told supporters at a rally. “The fact is that all of the votes won’t be counted until Thursday. We knew this. We knew this going into today.”
Schulz added, “In America, and in Maryland, we count every vote. Every single one of them.”
Some pundits saw Cox’s nomination as a win for Democrats in the state, as they believe only a moderate Republican like Hogan has a chance of winning in the state.
The Democrat nominee picture remains unclear as votes were spread among three top performers, none of whom garnered more than 50%. Importantly, in the Maryland primaries, candidates are not required to achieve more than half of the vote. A candidate needs only to attain more votes than his or her opponents to advance.
At the most recent tally, Wes Moore, an Army veteran and non-profit organizer, had 36.7% of the vote and led a nine-candidate field of Democrats. Former U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez was second with 27.4% and Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot was third with 19.6%. No other Democrat had earned more than 5% of the vote.
“While we believe in counting every vote, I can tell you because of the hard work of everybody here, we are excited for all those votes to be counted,” Moore told the Baltimore Sun. “Because when those votes are counted, we feel very good about where we’re going to be.”
In another key Maryland race, Chris Chaffee emerged from a field of 10 Republicans all vying to become a U.S. senator.
Chaffee will face incumbent Chris Van Hollen, who was challenged in the Democratic primary but easily bested his opponent with 77.9% of the vote.
At the congressional level, Rep. Andy Harris, the Republican incumbent in Maryland’s 1st Congressional District, ran unopposed and will face Heather Mizeur in the general election.
In total, eight Maryland House seats will be contested this year in the midterms where Republicans hope to take over the majority. As of midnight, the Democratic nominee in each race was decided but four Republican races remained too close to call.