MENU

Sections

  • Home
  • About
    • The Chestertown Spy
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising & Underwriting
      • Advertising Terms & Conditions
    • Editors & Writers
    • Dedication & Acknowledgements
    • Code of Ethics
    • Chestertown Spy Terms of Service
    • Technical FAQ
    • Privacy
  • The Arts and Design
  • Local Life and Culture
  • Public Affairs
    • Ecosystem
    • Education
    • Health
  • Community Opinion
  • Donate to the Chestertown Spy
  • Free Subscription
  • Talbot Spy
  • Cambridge Spy

More

  • Support the Spy
  • About Spy Community Media
  • Advertising with the Spy
  • Subscribe
June 1, 2025

Chestertown Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown

  • Home
  • About
    • The Chestertown Spy
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising & Underwriting
      • Advertising Terms & Conditions
    • Editors & Writers
    • Dedication & Acknowledgements
    • Code of Ethics
    • Chestertown Spy Terms of Service
    • Technical FAQ
    • Privacy
  • The Arts and Design
  • Local Life and Culture
  • Public Affairs
    • Ecosystem
    • Education
    • Health
  • Community Opinion
  • Donate to the Chestertown Spy
  • Free Subscription
  • Talbot Spy
  • Cambridge Spy
News Maryland News

Attack on Capitol Highlights Differences Between Maryland’s Top Republicans

January 8, 2021 by Maryland Matters

Share

Maryland’s most high-profile Republican leaders — Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. and Rep. Andrew P. Harris — have never had much in common.

Hogan’s opposition to Donald J. Trump, for example, dates back to the president’s first campaign, while Harris has been a staunch Trump loyalist.

The two also ended up in different camps on COVID-19.

When the governor was taking aggressive steps to combat the spread of COVID-19 last year, the congressman, a physician, was speaking publicly against mask orders and the state’s limits on commercial activity and group gatherings.

But never have the differences between the pair been on bolder display than Thursday, in the aftermath of the storming of the U.S. Capitol. In many ways, it highlighted the broader ideological and tactical divides in the national Republican Party.

Hogan called the event “a heinous and violent assault” — and he said Trump bore blame for undermining the nation’s traditional transfer of power.

“Over the last two months, this sacred tradition has come under attack from our own president, who has chosen to fan the flames of hate and mislead millions of voters through lies and conspiracy theories rather than face the reality of his own defeat,” the governor said.

“There’s no question that America would be better off if the president would resign or be removed from office,” he added.

Hogan also pledged that the Maryland National Guard personnel he sent to Washington, D.C., to protect the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday would remain there through the inauguration, set for Jan. 20.

Harris, by contrast, made national headlines for almost getting into a fistfight with a Democratic colleague on the House floor early Thursday morning, as Congress was meeting to certify the presidential election results. According to a media pool report, the lawmaker taunted Democrats during debate, gesturing in a way that suggested a willingness to engage in fisticuffs.

Harris released a statement on Thursday that defended his opposition to the presidential vote count in several swing states. He did not condemn the rioters who terrorized the Capitol, nor did he fault Trump for his role in inciting the violence, as Hogan did.

“Democrats are calling for unity, yet also calling for the expulsion of Members who objected in yesterday’s Electoral College count,” Harris wrote. “Today, some Marylanders are even calling for my resignation, which I will not do.”

“My colleagues and I held legitimate Constitutional concerns about how the November election was conducted in certain states and felt compelled to highlight those concerns during the formal vote count. We did not call for the overthrowing of an election.”

As the nation reeled from the attack on the Capitol on Thursday, analysts noted the remarkable — and still growing — divide between Hogan, Maryland’s popular governor, and Harris, the 1st District’s doctor-turned-congressman.

“Hogan represents this decent, right-of-center pro-business kind of Republican that the party used to have a lot more of,” said Melissa Deckman, a political science professor at Washington College. “He’s not an ideologue. He’s very pragmatic. But he’s also very principled.”

Deckman said she found it “very disturbing” that even after the Capitol was overrun, the majority of House Republicans — including Harris — maintained “this charade of objecting to a vote count that everyone knew was not fraudulent.”

“It just goes to show you how extreme he is,” she said.

Republican strategist and CNN commentator Doug Heye described Harris as “one of those guys who talks about ‘we need to fight,’ but doesn’t have a plan.”

“Andy Harris was on the fringe on everything,” said Heye, a former communications director for the Republican National Committee. “This predates Trump. He was always ‘out there,’ and never productive.”

Hogan, Heye said, “is clearly a results-driven guy.”

Yet since winning his seat in 2010, Harris has never had to sweat reelection. Under Maryland’s gerrymandered congressional map, Harris’ 1st District, which takes in all of the Eastern Shore plus portions of Harford, Baltimore and Carroll counties, is a Republican stronghold.

Nevertheless, the Maryland Democratic Party on Thursday called on Harris to resign, and a former state legislator from Montgomery County who now lives in Harris’ district, Democrat Heather Mizeur, said on Twitter that she might take him on in 2022.

“@RepAndyHarrisMD we have found ways in the past to see common ground through our differences,” wrote Mizeur, who has largely stayed on the political sidelines in Maryland since running unsuccessfully for governor in 2014. “However, there is only one way to view your complicity w/ treasonous insurrection against our govt: you must resign immediately — or I will consider retiring you myself in 2022.”

With Republican lawmakers starting to turn on the president, and aides resigning in the wake of the attack on the Capitol, a full-scale GOP civil war is on.

Observers said it is too soon to say whether national Republicans who allied themselves with Trump will find their future political prospects diminished.

For the past several months, Hogan has worked to elevate his national profile and is widely seen as taking steps toward a possible White House run in 2024. But University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato told The Baltimore Sun last year that “the GOP would have to change drastically by 2024 for Hogan to have a real shot” at the party’s presidential nomination.

An overnight poll found that nearly half of all Republicans supported the storming of the Capitol.

Still, Deckman expects Hogan to get a fresh look in the wake of the week’s events.

“In many ways he’s very well-situated to become a leader in the Republican Party… depending on how this shakes out, because he has been a very consistent voice,” the professor said. “I think he represents what the GOP used to stand for a lot of ways.”

By Bruce DePuyt

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Maryland News Tagged With: andy harris, assault, capitol, donald trump, Gov. Larry Hogan, republicans

Biden Wins Talbot County in Final Unofficial Count; First Dem Victory Here Since 1964

November 14, 2020 by John Griep

Share

Joe Biden has eked out a narrow victory in Talbot County, according to the final unofficial results, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to win here since 1964, when Lyndon Johnson took the county during his landslide over Republican Barry Goldwater.

Election officials conducted the final canvassing on Friday, when mail-in ballots could be received until 10 a.m.

Biden has 11,062 votes (49%) to 10,946 (48.5%) for President Donald Trump, the Republican incumbent, as of the final unofficial count.

The shift in results over time mirrors similar trends seen nationwide — Trump supporters voted in person (whether on Election Day or during early voting); the majority of Biden voters opted to vote by mail. Nearly 77% of Talbot’s votes for Trump were in person; about 57% of Biden’s votes were by mail.

In Talbot County, early voting was the most popular choice with more than 10,000 voters casting ballots in the days before Election Day. More than 8,500 county residents cast mail-in ballots, an option urged by the Biden campaign due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 2,900 voters went to the polls on Election Day.

Biden outperformed Hillary Clinton by about 7 percentage points. Clinton got 42.1% of Talbot’s vote in 2016; Trump had 52.2%.

In 2012 and 2008, Barack Obama had similar margins of defeat in the county as Clinton. He lost Talbot by more than 12 percentage points against Mitt Romney in 2012; by about 10 percentage points against John McCain in 2008.

Republican George W. Bush won Talbot by nearly 20 percentage points against Democrats John Kerry in 2004 and Al Gore in 2000.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: 2 News Homepage Tagged With: Biden, democrats, early voting, election, election day, mail-in, republicans, Talbot County, Trump

Marylanders’ Attitudes About Government’s COVID Response Vary By Demographic

October 14, 2020 by Maryland Matters

Share

Nearly half of all Marylanders have experienced financial hardship since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and people remain concerned that they or a loved one will get sick, according to a just-released survey. 

Skepticism about a potential vaccine is high across the state, regardless of ideology. 

Republicans are much more skeptical about the benefits of mask-wearing and social distancing than Democrats. 

And Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) continues to get very high marks for his handling of the crisis — particularly from residents of the Washington, D.C. suburbs, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by wide margins. 

The wide-ranging poll’s cross-tabs, which look at gender, ideology, race, geography and other characteristics, reveal fairly broad demographic differences.

The Goucher College poll of 1,002 Maryland residents was taken between Sept. 30 and Oct. 4 by the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center at Goucher College. It had a 3.1-point margin of error.

The main takeaways:

A strong majority (58%) of residents said Maryland’s approach to reopening the economy has been “about right.” Nearly a quarter (23%) believed the state moved “too quickly;” 16% said reopenings came “too slowly.” 

Half of survey respondents (51%) said they believe the worst of the pandemic “is behind us,” a view that runs counter to the warnings being expressed by public health experts. Forty percent of Marylanders believe the worst “is yet to come.”

Just under half (45%) of residents have experienced “severe” or “moderate” financial hardship since the virus hit the state in March; 55% said they had endured no money woes. 

Nearly seven in 10 Marylanders said they have some or a great deal of concern that they or a loved one will become infected, while 31% who have little or no concern.

By an overwhelming margin, residents remain happy with Hogan’s coronavirus leadership. The former head of the National Governors Association moved aggressively to close schools, limit business activity and ramp up the public health response when the virus first hit. 

By a better than 5-to-1 margin, Marylanders give the second-term executive, who has started to position himself for a potential White House bid in 2024, a thumbs-up for his decision-making and rhetoric. 

The poll’s cross-tabs reveal a lot about the ways race, age, political ideology and geography shape Marylanders’ attitudes toward the epidemic and public health. 

Exposure concern, masks and the future of COVID-19 

Republicans are much less concerned about COVID-19 infection hitting their family. Overall concern about an infection is high (69-31). Among Democrats it’s even higher (82-18). But only 47% of Republicans say they’re worried about exposure. 

Party affiliation also affects residents’ views of public-health precautions.

By an 11-1 margin, residents believe that wearing masks and social distancing “can help stop the spread” of the virus. Support is highest among Democrats (98-2) and women (94-5). It is lower among Republicans (77-19) and men (84-13). 

Echoing the concerns raised by scientists and public health leaders, Democrats (52-38), Blacks (54-40) and women (46-45) believe the pandemic will get worse. Conversely, Republicans (74-18), whites (56-33) and men (57-33) believe “the worst is behind us.”

Although a majority of residents of all stripes think the pace of the state’s reopening has been “about right,” women, Democrats and younger adults were more likely to say that the state has moved “too quickly.” 

“Women are displaying more caution than their male counterparts,” said political science professor Mileah Kromer, the director of the survey, in an interview. “It seems to be on the basis of caution. It’s slight, but it’s present.”

Financial hardship

The COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the state’s economy, and while some rehiring has occurred, the impacts on families have been widespread. Jobs have been lost and tens of thousands of people have been forced to dig into their savings and rely on help from friends, family and food banks to meet basic needs. 

Younger adults (56-44), Blacks (53-47), people of “other races” (54-46) and people who didn’t go to college (52-48) reported moderate or severe financial hardship due to the economic slowdown. 

People aged 35 and up, college graduates and whites — those more likely to be able to work from home or are retired — were more likely to say they had not endured any financial woes due to the coronavirus. 

In an analysis for Maryland Matters, Goucher revealed that residents of the Baltimore region were more likely to have experienced financial distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Residents of Baltimore City and Baltimore County (56-44) said they have had money woes. People who live in the Washington, D.C., suburbs (43-57) were less likely to have struggled financially. The same was true for the residents of Central Maryland, the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland (41-59).

Hogan

Hogan turned over the reins of state government to Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford (R) in March, so that he could focus on the pandemic full time.

Like his overall job-approval numbers, Hogan’s handling of the virus (82-16) would be the envy of any leader. 

His support is highest, remarkably, in two counties dominated by Democrats, Prince George’s (91-9) and Montgomery (85-12). 

Democrats (86-13) like his COVID game plan even more than Republicans (75-23). And his support among Blacks for the way he has handled the public health crisis (85-14) edges out his white backing (81-17). 

Kromer thinks the stark contrast between Hogan and President Trump works in the governor’s favor in the D.C. suburbs.

“I have to wonder if there is something there, given how prominent the federal government is in the D.C. suburbs,” she said. “They are in a hot spot and they’ve been in a hot spot for a while.”

Hogan is part of a group of Northeast governors whose early, aggressive actions have won them applause. Many Southern and Midwestern governors who were outspoken about the need to reopen have seen their poll numbers tank. 

Vaccines

President Trump, who has made more than 20,000 false statements since taking office, according to a Washington Post count, has repeatedly promised that a vaccine will be available this year, a statement contradicted by his own to advisers. 

The Goucher poll found that Marylanders are skeptical about vaccines. 

Asked whether they would take an “FDA-approved” vaccine, 49% said no, while 48% said yes. 

Younger adults (56-41) and whites (54-43) were more willing to do so. Adults between 35 and 54 (38-59) and Blacks (38-61) said they would decline. 

By Bruce DePuyt

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Maryland News Tagged With: Covid-19, democrats, Economy, Gov. Larry Hogan, Maryland, masks, reopening, republicans, social distancing, Survey

Steele’s Deal with Lincoln Project could Affect his Maryland Ambitions

August 30, 2020 by Maryland Matters

Share

Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele’s decision to join a high-profile anti-Trump organization this week was yet another reminder that many of the president’s harshest critics are members of his own political party — people who in some cases have spent their entire careers working to elect GOP candidates.

The day Steele formally became a senior advisor for the Lincoln Project, co-founder Rick Wilson, a veteran Republican consultant, called him “a singularly insightful and effective political leader.”

“Many principled Republicans have rejected Trump and Trumpism, but few with such a remarkable track record of electoral success,” Wilson added, pointing to GOP gains in Congress during Steele’s tenure as head of the party in 2010 — and his own history-making victory, when he was elected lieutenant governor in 2002, becoming the first African-American ever elected to statewide office in Maryland.

The group’s ads, which take direct aim at Trump’s policy failures and his divisiveness, are funded through donations. They have been praised for their creativity and have reportedly gotten under the president’s skin.

While Steele’s decision to join the Lincoln Project may be a coup for the organization — and provide Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential bid a boost — it could come back to haunt the former lieutenant governor should he decide to seek future statewide office, GOP insiders say.

“It definitely conflicts with where the party is as a whole,” said Del. Matthew Morgan (R-St. Mary’s), a Trump supporter.

Said Fred Price Jr., a member of the Prince George’s County Republican Central Committee: “If he was going to run for governor, he’d have to run as a Democrat or Green Party. I think he’s closed the door to the Republican Party.”

“Mike made that move a long time ago,” Price added. “It’s a different party.”

After four years as lieutenant governor and stints as Maryland and Prince George’s GOP chairman, Steele was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 2006, losing to now-Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D).

Morgan, an assistant minority leader in the House of Delegates, disputed Steele’s claim that he hasn’t formally endorsed Biden.

“You are endorsing Biden. He is,” the lawmaker said. “You can’t have it both ways. You have a defined choice and you need to pick a side.”

On his podcast and in an interview with Maryland Matters, Steele discussed how he arrived at his decision to formally oppose the president’s re-election.

As he questioned whether the president has the “leadership, decency” and adherence to “Constitutional norms” to lead the nation, he said he was reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King’s warning that “our lives begin to end the day we become silent on the things that matter.”

Trump “has turned the party from an honorable political movement rooted in principle and core philosophies into a cult of his personality,” Steele said.

“Instead of fighting for [the] future, Republicans gave credence to a man who traffics in conspiracies, fear, racism, xenophobia, misogyny. … For me, it matters that our republic is teetering on the brink of nationalism and authoritarianism. It matters that our president openly suggests that he won’t accept the results of a free and fair election.”

The former RNC chair also accused the president of trying to “hijack our election, weaken our franchise, and deal a fatal blow to the experiment that has been the American experience.”

Steele has yet to decide whether he will run for governor in 2022, when the office comes open due to term limits, or whether he will continue to serve as a consultant and MSNBC commentator.

A Washington, D.C., native who was attracted to Ronald Reagan as a teenager, Steele, 61, is aware that his attacks on Trump, who retains the support of the vast majority of the GOP base, could come back to bite him.

“I’m willing to take that risk, whether it’s now or with a future opportunity,” he told Maryland Matters. “People who know me, I’ve been consistent. I’ve not wavered from the values and the beliefs that I have.”

“As far as future electoral prospects, I’ll trust people on that. If they reject me because I rejected Trump, it says more about them than it does me, because I’m the same guy. And I get it. I’m fine.”

Trump is “a very flawed man with no set of principles or guiding ideology. Why would I turn over 40 years of what I believe and what I’ve fought for and taken a lot of slings and arrows on behalf of, to capitulate to that?”

Steele said is still in touch with party insiders, many of whom, he said, express confidence that the GOP can simply shake off the Trump experience when it’s over.

“It’s not going to be that simple,” he counsels. “And it’s not going to be easy at all.”

By Bruce DePuyt

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Maryland News Tagged With: donald trump, lincoln project, michael steele, republicans

Copyright © 2025

Affiliated News

  • The Cambridge Spy
  • The Talbot Spy

Sections

  • Arts
  • Culture
  • Ecosystem
  • Education
  • Health
  • Local Life and Culture
  • Spy Senior Nation

Spy Community Media

  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising & Underwriting

Copyright © 2025 · Spy Community Media Child Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in