Four candidates are running in the Republican primary for governor of Maryland on July 19, 2022. Incumbent Governor Larry Hogan (R) was term-limited and could not run for re-election. As of June 2022, Dan Cox and Kelly Schulz led the primary field in endorsements and media attention.
Cox is an attorney and currently serves in the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 4 since he was elected in 2018. In an interview with O’Connor & Company, Cox said he was running to “give freedom back to the people. After two years, we’ve been working to renew a vision of constitutional leadership that our party believes in.” Former President Donald Trump (R) endorsed Cox.
Schulz worked in the defense and cybersecurity industries before serving in government. She most recently served as Maryland’s secretary of commerce from 2019 to January 2022. In an interview with Fox 5 DC, Schulz said she graduated from college and worked in Maryland and her “campaign is about offering those same opportunities to Marylanders all across the state that deserve the opportunity to exceed and excel.” Schulz was endorsed by Governor Hogan.
Both candidates highlighted education as a key issue of their respective campaigns. Cox said he supported parents’ rights in schools, and would oppose “the use of taxpayer dollars to teach divisive, anti-American Marxism and pit students against one-another”, mask requirements in schools, and “ban males from competing in female sports.”
Schulz said, “I introduced a parental bill of rights providing real school choice, record funding and accountability with education transparency.” She said she opposed school closures and mask and vaccine requirements in schools.
Robin Ficker and Joe Werner are also running in the primary. Cox is running with lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Gordana Schifanelli, Schulz with Jeff Woolford, Ficker with LeRoy Yegge Jr., and Werner with Minh Thanh Luong.
Maryland has had a Republican governor since Hogan’s election in 2014. As of June 2022, The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the 2022 general election as Lean Democratic, while Sabato’s Crystal Ball viewed the race as Likely Democratic.
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