Though this summer’s 2022 Primary election had some unpredictable twists and turns, the General Election winners are a bit more predictable if one is to believe the polling. Here is a quick recap of the State’s 3 state-wide elections:
GOVERNOR
In the Governor’s race on the Republican side, the ever-popular, Governor Hogan’s hand-picked successor, Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz decidedly lost over Trump-backed, right-wing candidate Dan Cox. This shows that the primary voter in the Republican primaries tends more toward the right rather than the center. Governor Hogan has called Dan Cox a “QAnon whack job” and announced he would not be voting for him. It is widely accepted in political circles that this means the winner of the Democratic Primary, Wes Moore, is heavily favored in the General election. Moore, a combat Veteran and best-selling author, defeated Comptroller Peter Franchot and former DNC Chairman Tom Perez. Because Maryland is tied with California as one of the most democratic states in the country, and because the election of Cox leaves the Republican party divided, it certainly appears Wes Moore will be the next Governor of Maryland. Wes Moore has tapped former State Delegate Aruna Miller as his running mate for Lt. Governor while Dan Cox has tapped law professor Gordana Schifanelli to join him on his ticket.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
A similar trend occurred on the Republican side of the Attorney General’s race. The party nominee is Michael Peroutka who ran on a hyper-conservative platform. He will face Congressman Anthony Brown in the General Election. Brown handily defeated Katie O’Malley in the primary who is a former Judge and First Lady of Maryland. Maryland has not elected a Republican Attorney General in 70 years.
COMPTROLLER
Rising-star Delegate Brooke Lierman decidedly beat her Democratic Primary opponent Bowie Mayor Tim Adams. She will face Republican Harford County Executive Barry Glassman in the fall. Glassman, who has a reputation for working across the aisle, is looking to distance himself from the other state-wide candidates on the Republican side.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
All in all, it looks like there will be about 40 new Senators and Delegates being sworn in for the General Assembly of 2023. The Democrats are expected to maintain super-majorities in both the House of Delegates and the State Senate.