Maryland Republican Party

The Maryland Republican Party is the branch of the United States Republican Party (GOP) located in the state of Maryland, headquartered in Annapolis.[1]

Number of self-identified Democrats vs. self-identified Republicans, per state, according to Gallup, January–June 2010, showing Maryland as third most Democratic.[2]
Maryland Republican Party
AbbreviationMDGOP
GovernorLarry Hogan
Lieutenant GovernorBoyd Rutherford
ChairpersonDirk Haire
House LeaderNic Kipke
Senate LeaderJB Jennings
Founded1854
Headquarters91 Main St 2nd Floor, Annapolis, MD 21401
Student wingMaryland Federation of College Republicans
Membership (2017)1,014,307
(Registered Voters)
IdeologyConservatism
Political positionCenter-right
National affiliationRepublican Party
SloganWe're Back
Senate
15 / 47
House of Delegates
42 / 141
U.S. Senate
0 / 2
U.S. House of Representatives
1 / 8
Statewide Officers
2 / 4
County Executives
3 / 9
County Council / Commission Seats
74 / 129
Website
http://www.mdgop.org/

Current elected officials

U.S. House of Representatives

Statewide offices

State Legislature

County government

As of 2018, the Maryland GOP controls the majority of the state's county and municipal governments. It holds 16 of 23 counties, excluding Baltimore City. It also has a majority of County Executives in the State.

State Party

The Republican Party is the minority party in both houses of the Maryland General Assembly. In the House of Delegates, the Republicans control 50 seats to the Democrats' 91. In the Maryland State Senate, the Republicans control 14 seats to the Democrats' 33.

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.[3]

Former chair of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele

In 2003, Michael Steele became the first African American elected to statewide office in the state of Maryland, when he was elected Lieutenant Governor. Prior to this, Steele served as the Chairman of the Maryland Republican Party. In 2009, Michael S. Steele was elected chair of the Republican National Committee, the first African American to hold that position.

Important historical members of the Maryland Republican Party have included former Governor and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, the second vice president to resign the office, and former Senator Charles Mathias.

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.[4] 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.[5]

The picture changed after a 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.[6]

Current notable Maryland Republicans
Former Maryland governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. speaking at Healthier US summit.

Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. was the first Republican governor of Maryland since the 1960s, serving as governor from 2003 to 2007. He was defeated in the 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. Andy Harris was one of the few bright spots for Maryland Republicans in the 2010 election as he won a congressional seat back from the Democrats.

Nicholaus R. Kipke became the House Minority Leader in 2013, by unseating Anthony J. O'Donnell.

Larry Hogan is current governor, he defeated Democratic candidate Anthony G. Brown in November 2014. Boyd Rutherford was Hogan's running mate and is the current Lt. Governor of Maryland.

In 2018, Hogan won re-election as Governor against Democratic challenger, Ben Jealous. This makes him the first two-term Republican governor of Maryland since Theodore Roosevelt McKeldin.

State Party Chairmen
Name Term Notes
Joyce Lyon Tehres 1989–1998
Michael Steele 2000–2002 Resigned to become running mate of Bob Ehrlich
Louis Pope 2002
John Kane 2002–2006
Jim Pelura 2006–2009 Resigned
Audrey Scott 2009–2010 Elected in a Special Election
Alex Mooney 2010–2013 Resigned to run for Congress in West Virginia
Diana Waterman 2013–2016 Elected in a special election in 2013; elected to full term in own right in 2014
Dirk Haire 2016–present

References
  1. "Contact the MGOP." Maryland Republican Party. Retrieved on December 18, 2018.
  2. Newport, Frank (2010-07-26). "More States "Competitive" in Terms of Party Identification". Gallup.com. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
  3. Roots of Maryland Democracy, 1753-1776. Skaggs, David Curtis. Westport, Conn., Greenwood Press [1973].
  4. Wagner, John (2009-07-18). "Md. GOP Weighs Ouster of Chief Amid Debt and Decrease in Rolls". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
  5. Linskey, Annie (2011-11-12). "Maryland Republican Party owes over $100,000 to vendors". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
  6. 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". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
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