As non-Trump Republicans bemoan party鈥檚 shift, Md. Dems move quickly to define Dan Cox

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One day after Del. Dan Cox declared victory over former state Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz in the Republican gubernatorial primary, Democrats and their allies rushed to define the GOP nominee as an ideological extremist in the mold of Donald Trump. Or, as Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) famously put it, a 鈥淨Anon whack job.鈥�

At the same time, a high-profile Republican seeking statewide office signaled that he intends to keep his distance from his party鈥檚 nominee.

House Majority Leader Eric Luedtke (D-Montgomery) accused Republicans of nominating 鈥渢heir most extreme ticket ever,鈥� noting that Cox organized buses for Trump supporters to the U.S. Capitol for the Jan. 6 rally. Luedtke faulted Michael Peroutka, the GOP鈥檚 apparent nominee for attorney general, for his ties to 鈥渁 neo-confederate group.鈥�

鈥淭his extreme ticket is wrong for Maryland,鈥澛�. 鈥淰oters should reject it.鈥�

The Maryland Democratic Party issued a statement accusing the state GOP of showing 鈥渋ts true colors.鈥�

鈥淭hey鈥檝e come out from hiding behind their governor鈥檚 fa莽ade, pretending to be a moderate party, and they鈥檝e chugged the QAnon Kool-Aid,鈥� the statement read. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e succumbed to the ultra-ignorant QAnon, MAGA wing of their party.鈥�

The Democratic Governors Association posted an online ad on Wednesday聽聽video clips in which Hogan and Schulz bluntly tear into Cox. The ad uses the 鈥渨hack job鈥� clip from a 2021 State House press conference and another in which the governor refers to him as 鈥渢his crazy guy鈥� 鈥� someone he would 鈥渘ot support in any way for anything.鈥�

Schulz appears at a campaign event, calling her former rival 鈥渁 lying conspiracy theorist.鈥�

The Defend Democracy Project, a non-profit seeking to defend American democracy, also labeled Cox a 鈥渇ar-right conspiracy theorist鈥� in a news release.

Wes Moore (D), the former foundation executive who is sitting atop the Democratic primary field following the tabulation of election day and early-voting ballots, refrained from comment. He said on Tuesday he will not declare victory until all votes have been counted.

The process for counting more than 200,000 mail-in ballots is expected to last several weeks, but the political world appeared convinced on Wednesday that the race in November will feature Moore and Cox. And Democrats made it clear that they will tar Cox loudly and often, to make it harder for him to make inroads with centrist voters.

The Republican candidate for comptroller, Harford County Executive Barry Glassman, signaled that he intends to focus on his Democratic opponent, Del. Brooke Lierman.

Asked about Cox鈥檚 victory, Glassman in an interview said he was 鈥渆valuating everything and taking a deep breath as everything becomes final here.鈥� But his office then released a statement in which Glassman said he will be not be making endorsements 鈥� even within his own party.

鈥淭he number one priority of the comptroller鈥檚 office should be protecting and advocating for Maryland taxpayers, not playing politics,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 running to serve hardworking Marylanders, not to help other politicians, and therefore won鈥檛 be campaigning or endorsing any other candidates.鈥�

Other visible party leaders undertook their own maneuvers.

Hogan spokesman Michael Ricci confirmed that the governor will not be supporting Cox in November. 鈥淗e is not supporting the QAnon candidate,鈥� Ricci told Maryland Matters.

Doug Mayer, a senior advisor to Schulz who served as Hogan鈥檚 first-term communications director,聽, 鈥淭he Maryland Republican Party got together and committed ritualized mass suicide.鈥�

鈥淭he only thing missing was Jim Jones and a glass of Kool-Aid,鈥� he added.

Adam Dubitsky, a former Hogan policy director turned corporate communications professional,聽聽that he was quitting the party. 鈥�#MDGOP I鈥檓 out,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淭he party I so proudly worked in for 34 years has devolved into a personality cult; the price of entry 鈥� fealty to someone who trounced on our Constitution in an attempt to overthrow a duly elected president.鈥�

鈥淲ho鈥檚 up for #ANewParty?,鈥� he asked.

Republicans have won three of the last five gubernatorial races in Maryland, despite a 2-to-1 voter registration advantage for Democrats, and the current national political climate led to predictions that a candidate with potential appeal to moderates 鈥� like Schulz 鈥� could extend the party鈥檚 winning streak.

But Cox鈥檚 victory brought palpable despair among GOP strategists and activists. They worry not only that will Cox flame out, but also that other, more viable candidates for state and local offices will be thrown off message whenever Cox or his running mate, Gordana Schifanelli, say something inflammatory.

鈥淪adly, we鈥檙e going to get crushed down-ballot,鈥� said strategist Jim Dornan, who worked on-and-off for Schulz. 鈥淐ox鈥檚 ideas are so out there, that it makes people recoil, except for his most hard-core supporters. And that鈥檚 maybe 鈥� maybe 鈥� 30% of the electorate.鈥�

鈥淭rump got 33% in 2020鈥� in Maryland, he added. 鈥淒o Dan Cox and his people think they鈥檙e going to out-poll Donald Trump in an off-year (election)?鈥�

The Cox campaign did not respond to a voice message left on the candidate鈥檚 cell phone or to emails. Dirk Haire, the head of the Maryland Republican Party, did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Rep. Andy Harris (R).

Del. Ric Metzgar (R-Baltimore County), a Cox supporter who garnered the highest number of votes in his three-member House district Tuesday, expressed confidence in the party鈥檚 chances in November and predicted 鈥渁 red wave that you鈥檝e never seen in a long, long time.鈥�

The Schulz camp kept a low profile on the day after the race was called. In remarks to supporters Tuesday, she said she will 鈥渘ever regret鈥� the way she campaigned. 鈥淢y Republican Party is the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and John McCain. And that is exactly the party that I will continue to fight for.鈥�

Did the DGA help Cox鈥檚 win?

Dornan said two factors put Cox over the top 鈥� the Trump endorsement, which came in November and provided a fundraising boost, and the Democratic Governors Association ad blitz. The organization鈥檚 ads carried the ostensible message that Cox was 鈥渢oo conservative鈥� for Maryland, but they were widely perceived as helping educate GOP voters about his alliance with the former president.

Some observers dismiss the DGA ads, saying they had little impact. The key to the race, in the view of these strategists, was Trump鈥檚 willingness to take part in multiple Cox campaign events. Peroutka, the successful Republican attorney general candidate, is so far leading a more moderate rival, Jim Shalleck, by almost the identical margin that Cox beat Schulz, multiple analysts noted, even though the DGA didn鈥檛 spend a penny on Peroutka鈥檚 behalf.

Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, who once headed the Republican National Committee, rejected the suggestion that the DGA played a key role. 鈥淎ll they did was maybe add a percent or two more to the turnout,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey spent a million bucks; they really didn鈥檛 need to.鈥�

Dornan, in the meantime, said he can鈥檛 envision Cox鈥檚 brand of politics playing in a state like Maryland. 鈥淐ox never had a policy agenda,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e never had a coherent policy strategy. If you look at his speech last night, it was a rambling word salad of just insanity.鈥�

He predicted that Moore 鈥渨ill run circles around Cox, if they even engage with him. And if I were them, I would not.鈥�

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