After far-right gubernatorial hopeful Dan Cox’s win in Maryland’s primary election Tuesday, the approach to the general election for some Republican candidates is simple and typical: “I’ll support my party’s nominee, absolutely,” said state Sen. Bob Cassilly, the Republican nominee for Harford County executive.
But for the many who backed Cox’s opponent, former state commerce secretary Kelly Schulz, strategy is suddenly complicated, and risks higher.
Schulz promised a familiar playbook, one that gave Gov. Larry Hogan historic wins and enduring popularity by emphasizing pocketbook issues and avoiding ultraconservative messaging on topics like abortion, guns and false claims of election fraud. In Cox, Republican candidates are now looking at a leader who has instead made those more extreme positions — ones that polling shows the vast majority of Marylanders reject — the focal points of his campaign.
