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Maryland governor’s race takes center stage on primary night
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — With Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan term-limited, the highly competitive contest to replace him took center stage Tuesday as voters cast ballots in the state’s primary election.
Hogan’s legacy was on the line as polls closed Tuesday night. He had endorsed Kelly Schulz, who served as labor and commerce secretaries in Hogan’s administration. Her top challenge in the Republican gubernatorial primary was from Dan Cox, a Donald Trump-backed state legislator who sued Hogan over his pandemic policies and later sought unsuccessfully to impeach him.
On the Democratic side, Tom Perez, a former U.S. labor secretary and former Democratic Party chair, has the backing of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a native daughter of Baltimore, while bestselling author Wes Moore has the support of Oprah Winfrey and U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 House Democrat. Other top candidates include Comptroller Peter Franchot, former Attorney General Doug Gansler and former U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr.
The big-name endorsements in Maryland’s governor’s race illustrate the high stakes for both parties. Democrats see the contest as one of their best chances nationwide to flip a governor’s mansion in this year’s midterm elections, while Republicans want to cement the party’s hold on the office.