Maryland Republican Party

History

Founded as a local branch of the nationwide Republican Party in 1854, the Maryland GOP has largely functioned as the local rival to the Maryland Democratic Party. The party has had long been in the minority in both chambers of the House of Delegates, however has been able to control the governorship several times thanks to popular moderate Republicans such as Theodore McKeldin, Spiro T. Agnew, Robert Ehrlich, and Larry Hogan.

The party's nominee, Daniel Cox, was defeated in a landslide to Democratic candidate Wes Moore in the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election. As of 2023, the party holds none of the statewide elected offices, holds only 1 of Maryland's congressional districts, and holds a minority of the seats in both chambers of the General Assembly.[[File:Republican v Democrat Gallup 6-10.svg|thumb|Number of self-identified Democrats vs. self-identified Republicans, per state, according to Gallup, January–June 2010, showing Maryland as third most Democratic.]]

Current elected officials

Source:

Members of Congress

U.S. Senate

• None Both of Maryland's U.S. Senate seats have been held by Democrats since 1987. Charles Mathias was the last Republican to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate.

U.S. House of Representatives

Statewide offices

• None

State legislature

• Senate minority leader: Steve Hershey
• Senate minority Whip: Justin Ready
• House minority leader: Jason Buckel
• House minority Whip: Jesse Pippy

County government

As of 2024, Republicans hold a majority of the seats on the boards of commissioners in eleven counties (Allegany, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Garrett, Kent, Queen Anne's, St. Mary's, Somerset, Washington, and Worcester) and the county councils in five counties (Cecil, Dorchester, Harford, Talbot, and Wicomico). The Republican Party also holds county executive seats in Cecil, Harford, and Wicomico counties.

State party

Historically, the Republican Party has been very weak in Maryland. The Republican Party is the minority party in both houses of the Maryland General Assembly. In the House of Delegates, the Republicans control 39 seats to the Democrats' 102. In the Maryland State Senate, the Republicans control 13 seats to the Democrats' 34. Since 1854, the Republican Party has controlled both chambers of the General Assembly for only 5 years. There have been only 9 Republican governors of Maryland, and just 2 of those have managed to win re-election. In 2022, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, Dan Cox, lost by a landslide margin of 32.41%, which was the largest loss for any gubernatorial nominee since 1986, in which Republican Thomas J. Mooney lost by a margin of 64.74%.

The Republican Party enjoys widespread support from Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore, both of which are mainly rural. In other areas of the state such as heavily populated Montgomery County, Prince George's County, and the City of Baltimore, Republicans are a minority.

The majority of voters in the state of Maryland live in urban metropolitan areas such as Baltimore and are affiliated with the Democratic Party.

Financial status

The Washington Post characterized the party as "close to broke" as of January 2009, with $703.10 on hand and $57,000 in loans and bills. The Maryland Election Board also ruled in 2009 that the Maryland GOP must return $77,500 to a campaign account of Steele's for party legal expenses that he had paid. In November 2011 The Baltimore Sun reported that the Maryland Republican party owed over $100,000 to vendors that stemmed from the 2010 election cycle.

The picture changed after Republican Larry Hogan was elected as governor in November 2014. According to The Washington Post, "Hogan raised nearly $1.4 million in the two months after the election" and the state party raised another $1 million.

Notable Maryland Republicans

Spiro Agnew was the Governor of Maryland from 1967 to 1969. In 1968, Agnew was chosen by Richard Nixon to be his running mate during the 1968 United States presidential election. After a landslide victory, Agnew became the 39th vice president of the United States. As of 2025, this is the highest political office any Maryland politician has held in the Federal government.

Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. was the first Republican governor of Maryland since the 1960s, serving as governor from 2003 to 2007. After winning in 2002, he was defeated in the 2006 and 2010 election by Democratic candidate Martin O'Malley. Ehrlich's wife, Kendel Ehrlich, is a notable state Republican who hosts, along with her husband, a conservative talk radio show on WBAL 1090-AM in Baltimore.

Larry Hogan was the most recent Republican governor, he defeated Democratic candidate Anthony Brown in November 2014. Boyd Rutherford was Hogan's running mate and was Lt. Governor of Maryland. In 2018, Hogan won re-election as governor against Democratic challenger, Ben Jealous. This made him the first two-term Republican governor of Maryland since Theodore Roosevelt McKeldin.

Andy Harris has been the lone Republican member of Congress from Maryland since 2011. Currently, he is the second longest tenured House Representative in the state. His wife, Nicole, is the current chair of the MDGOP.

Current leadership

The current officers of the Maryland Republican Party were elected at the fall 2022 convention to two year terms with the exception of the national committeeman and committeewomen who were elected at the spring 2022 convention to four-year terms.

In December 2022, the Maryland Republican Party elected Nicole Beus Harris, the wife of U.S. Representative Andy Harris, to serve as its chair following the decision of Dirk Haire not to seek reelection. She was re-elected in 2024.

The Maryland Republican Party also employs several staff members, including an executive director, a deputy director, and a data director.

State party chairmen

References

References

1. "Maryland State Board of Elections Summary of Voter Registration Activity Report November 2024".
2. "[https://www.mdgop.org/contact Contact the MGOP]." Maryland Republican Party. Retrieved on December 18, 2018.
3. "Washingtonpost.com: In Md., a Rising GOP".
4. "Results: Democrat Wes Moore defeats Republican Dan Cox and becomes Maryland's first Black governor".
5. Newport, Frank. (2010-07-26). "More States "Competitive" in Terms of Party Identification".
6. "Elected Officials".
7. (November 28, 2022). "Maryland Senate Republicans choose Hershey as new leader". [[The Daily Record (Maryland).
8. Willis, John. "Maryland Politics and Government: Democratic Dominance (Politics and Governments of the American States)".
9. "Archives of Maryland Online".
10. "Our Campaigns - Container Detail Page".
11. (18 November 2022). "Wes Moore's 30-point landslide improved over previous Democratic candidates' margins in every corner of Maryland".
12. (27 August 2017). "Maryland's Eastern Shore, a GOP stronghold, home to thousands who now have insurance thanks to Obamacare".
13. ''Roots of Maryland Democracy, 1753-1776.'' Skaggs, David Curtis. Westport, Conn., Greenwood Press [1973].
14. "Michael S. Steele, Maryland Lt. Governor".
15. Wagner, John. (2009-07-18). "Md. GOP Weighs Ouster of Chief Amid Debt and Decrease in Rolls". The Washington Post.
16. Linskey, Annie. (2011-11-12). "Maryland Republican Party owes over $100,000 to vendors".
17. Wagner, John. (2015-02-03). "To the victor go the spoils: Md. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) is raking in the cash, including from lots of Democrats". The Washington Post.
18. "Party Leadership".
19. (December 10, 2022). "Maryland GOP, reeling from disastrous election, picks new leadership". [[The Washington Post]].
20. (November 26, 2024). "Political notes: Mutual admiration society, GOP chair reelected, something old, something new". Maryland Matters.
21. "Party Staff".
22. "Collection: David and Elizabeth Scull papers {{!}} Archival Collections".