Maryland, My Maryland

Balmer Sun,  I’m torn’: Hogan-Trump split is putting some Maryland GOP voters on the spot

Larry Hogan and Donald Trump will appear in November for the first time together on Maryland’s ballot, but they won’t necessarily share equal space in the hearts of Republicans in counties like Dorchester, which voted by double digits for Trump in the last two presidential elections.

“This is Trump Country,” said Ted Bryant, 67, who builds and sells small aircraft in the water-oriented Eastern Shore county and is a member of its Republican central committee.

Bryant, 67, is hoping his county is large enough — in the big-tent sense — to not only back Trump for president again, but to also support the U.S. Senate candidacy of Hogan, the Republican former two-term governor who has crusaded against Trump’s hold on the party. It’s a hope shared by many GOP leaders on the Shore and other conservative bastions in Maryland.

Since Democrats enjoy a more than 2-1 voter registration advantage in the state, Hogan must capture a significant number of Democrats and unaffiliated voters to win. But he must do so without sacrificing large chunks of his party’s base in regions like the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland, where the GOP holds sway.

I'm not torn at all. While no politician is perfect, Hogan is the most Republican candidate that could be elected in Maryland. While not perfect, Trump is far, far better than the alternative, FJB.