Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says he’s not going to vote for state Delegate Dan Cox in November’s election, brushing aside party unity over concern the Republican gubernatorial nominee is too extreme.
Mr. Cox, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, marched to victory Tuesday in the GOP primary over former state Commerce Secretary Kelly Shulz, who was endorsed by Mr. Hogan.
The Baltimore Banner first reported Mr. Hogan’s plans not to vote for Mr. Cox, and a spokesperson confirmed it.
Mr. Hogan had told voters that if they were happy with his two terms in office, then Ms. Schulz was their best choice.
Mr. Cox campaigned in part against Mr. Hogan’s tenure, criticizing his response to the coronavirus and going as far as trying to impeach him.
Mr. Trump piled on, repeatedly calling Mr. Hogan a “RINO” (Republican in name only) and urging his supporters to back Mr. Cox.
With 80% of the estimated vote reported, Mr. Cox held a 56.2% to 40.3% lead over Ms. Schulz.
Mr. Cox is set to square off against the winner of the Democratic primary.
Wes Moore, a former nonprofit CEO and best-selling author, leads in that race, followed by Tom Perez, a former Labor secretary and chair of the Democratic Party, and Comptroller Peter Franchot.
It could take days for the Democratic nominee to be decided. Election boards in Maryland are barred from counting mail-in voters until two days after an election.
Nearly 500,000 ballots were requested and sent to voters, including more than 372,000 to registered Democrats.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.