The biggest winner or loser in Maryland this November won’t have his name on the ballot.
Governor Wes Moore could not have been more clear last night while speaking at Angela Alsobrooks victory celebration as she was projected to have defeated David Trone to win the contest.
Saying the “battle” had been won in the primary victory for Alsobrooks, Governor Moore declared the “war” starts today, suggesting anything short of victory for Alsobrooks is unacceptable.
Governor Moore’s all out primary support for Alsobrooks proved the determinative obstacle for David Trone who spent over $62 million of his own money to win. So, Moore has the candidate he wanted to challenge former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan who handily won the Republican primary.
While pundits are suggesting the race could favor the popular former Republican governor, I think Hogan’s path is decidedly different than anything he faced before and much more challenging.
First, Larry Hogan has never been on a ballot where Donald Trump also appears. The governor’s race is held in the off years, so Hogan ran at the top of the ticket where he clearly succeeded by pulling independent and middle of the road Democratic votes in the past.
Of course, this year, Trump will most likely be the top Republican on the ballot. The problem is that looking at primary vote counts, once again Trump did not get Republican voters out in numbers comparable to prior years. And, one out of five voters who did come out to vote in the Republican primary, voted against Trump for Nikki Haley who dropped out of the contest two months ago. Hogan must have every possible Republican voter to have any chance of victory.
Perhaps more important, former Governor Hogan has never run against the current and popular Governor, Wes Moore. Governor Moore’s determination to see Angela Alsobrooks emerge as the winner last night means he is all in for an Alsobrooks’ victory in November. And, it means more than having a strong ally in the United States Senate.
If Governor Moore succeeds in building a victory for Alsobrooks, he will earn the respect and support of his party which, by his efforts, just might hold on to its Senate majority. So, by defeating a past Maryland governor, the current Maryland governor will be catapulted to new heights in an already rapid political climb; and, he will do it without his name on the ballot.
Craig Fuller served four years in the White House as assistant to President Reagan for Cabinet Affairs, followed by four years as chief of staff to Vice President George H.W. Bush. Having been engaged in five presidential campaigns and running public affairs firms and associations in Washington, D.C., he now resides on the Eastern Shore and publishes DECADE SEVEN on Substack.
Jeffrey Carroll says
Talk about biased journalism..Maybe you should point out how Governor Wes Moore has gone through all the money left to him by Governor Hogan.. we all know Larry Hogan is a Republican in name only.. he’s fiscally irresponsible unlike our current governor & the Democratic opponent
Gren Whitman says
With 54% of the vote in the Democratic primary, Angela Alsobrooks solidly bested a credible white man willing to spend $61 million for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Now she’s up against former Gov. Larry Hogan, a conservative GOP who claims he’s a “moderate.”
Given (1) her race and Maryland’s demographics, (2) her party’s unity, energy, and the all-too-real threat of losing the Senate, (3) and the profound, life-and-death reproductive health issue, Alsobrooks can overcome Hogan’s dog-whistles from the right.