Some Republicans worry about Cox's effect on down-ballot races in November

Jul. 23—Supporters of Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox say he will energize GOP voters in the months leading up to the general election. Other Frederick County Republicans, though, feel that Cox may widen divisions within the party and hurt down-ballot candidates.

Maryland election officials have not finished counting mail-in votes, but The Associated Press projected on primary election night Tuesday that Cox, a state delegate representing Frederick and Carroll counties, had won the Republican nomination.

NBC, CBS and CNN on Friday projected that former Robin Hood Foundation CEO Wes Moore has defeated former U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot for the Democratic nomination after the first day of mail-in vote counting.

Moore was at 34.4%, Perez at 27.7% and Franchot at 21.7% including ballots counted on Friday, with more to count next week. If Moore's lead holds up, he would face Cox in the Nov. 8 general election.

Cox is a "good man with integrity," but his disparaging comments from the floor of the legislature, and the divisiveness that he has brought to the party, hurt his image, said Del. Barrie Ciliberti, who is chair of the Frederick County delegation in Annapolis.

Cox posted on Twitter during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection of the U.S. Capitol that then-Vice President Mike Pence "is a traitor" for certifying the 2020 presidential election results. Cox has also compared a mental health bill to the Holocaust.

And he alleged during a previous interview with the News-Post that people are taking advantage of the state's abortion laws for a regional sex trafficking industry.

"Hopefully, people will get to know him a little better," Ciliberti said in a phone interview with the News-Post.

Ciliberti, though, declined to say whether it's good for the Republican Party that Cox won the primary, or whether he would vote for Cox in November.

Ciliberti was a delegate representing Montgomery County from 1995 to 1999 and has represented Frederick and Carroll counties since 2015.

He said the polarization surrounding Cox could hurt Republicans' chances of winning local races — like state Republican Sen. Michael Hough's bid for Frederick County executive — because they might have to make clear whether they align with him.

"That negativity can start with [Cox] and go right down the line," Ciliberti said.

Hough did not respond to text messages and calls for comment Wednesday and Thursday, and did not immediately respond to a phone call requesting comment Friday.

County Councilman Phil Dacey, a Republican running for reelection for one of two at-large seats on the council, did not respond to text messages Wednesday and calls Thursday and Friday requesting comment.

Republican Club of Frederick County President Dylan Diggs said he has noticed a divide among Republicans in the county, too. That Cox and his primary opponent — former state Commerce and Labor Secretary Kelly Schulz — are both Frederick County residents might have made tensions worse, he said.

"It's personal," Diggs said. "We all know Cox and Schulz."

Like Ciliberti, Diggs said he is concerned that Cox's victory in the primary could hinder Republicans' chances of securing local offices in Frederick County. The national attention that Cox's bid for governor is sure to attract might overshadow races for Frederick County executive and County Council, he said.

"Frederick citizens lose out if that's how it is," Diggs said.

Local Republicans have pointed to former President Donald Trump's endorsement of Cox as a significant reason for his win.

Cox attributed his success against Schulz to his aggressive campaigning and Schulz's alignment with Gov. Larry Hogan — who endorsed Schulz and who has been a vocal Cox opponent, calling him a "QAnon whack job."

"We went right to the people and we went right to the voters and we did it over and over and over again," Cox said in a phone interview with the News-Post on Wednesday.

Schulz could not be reached for comment Friday. Her campaign spokesman, Mike Demkiw, did not respond to multiple text messages and phone calls between Wednesday and Friday.

In a tweet Wednesday morning, Hogan wrote that Trump "selfishly colluded with national Democrats to cost us a Governor's seat in Maryland where I ran 45 points ahead of him."

"He's fighting for his ego," Hogan wrote of Trump in his tweet. "We're fighting to win, and the fight goes on."

A Goucher College poll published in June showed that 67% of Republicans and 64% of Democrats viewed the governor favorably, but Cox has repeatedly said Marylanders are displeased with Hogan, so Republicans did not vote for Schulz.

"People are tired of these overreaching policies and the arrogance of not being willing to come out and debate and talk about the burdening issues in the community," Cox said.

Cox has feuded numerous times with Hogan, including an unsuccessful attempt to sue the governor over the state's COVID-19 restrictions. He also pushed to impeach Hogan, but gained no traction.

Fred Propheter, president of the Frederick County Conservative Club, said in a phone interview on Friday that he was "elated" Cox won the Republican nomination.

Propheter voted for Cox in the primary and he said he plans to again in November.

"People do not want the go-along, get-along," Propheter said, alluding to Hogan.

Considering the strong opposition Cox faces from Hogan and moderate Republicans in the state, Propheter said, he's looking to creating a Western Maryland coalition in support of Cox.

Propheter said he has contacted a Republican group in Washington County and a Tea Party group in Carroll County, and plans to connect with Frederick County groups.

He said he planned to contact the Frederick County Republican Central Committee and "force their hand," but he declined to say what that meant.

Steven Clark, president of the Frederick County Republican Central Committee, did not respond to text messages Wednesday and calls Thursday and Friday requesting comment.

Rick Weldon, president and CEO of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce and a former state delegate, said Cox has "not a chance" of winning in November.

It won't happen, Weldon said, "not even in a perfect storm."

There are roughly two times as many registered Democrats as Republicans in Maryland. To win in November, Cox would need the support of all Republicans, plus roughly one in four Democratic voters, Weldon said.

Weldon was a member of the House of Delegates representing Frederick and Washington counties from 2003 to 2009. He was a registered Republican until 2008, when he changed his status to unaffiliated following disagreements with other Republican lawmakers.

His Republican colleagues at the time had supported several proposals from former Gov. Robert Ehrlich, a Republican, for slot machines and horse track betting. But when the state's next governor, Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, submitted a similar bill to the legislature, their stance shifted.

Weldon and two other Republicans voted for O'Malley's proposal. Days later, he said, the leader of the state Republican Party called them "disloyal and disingenuous Republicans."

Weldon said he'd had enough and changed his party affiliation shortly thereafter.

As a former GOP member, Weldon said, he thought he had a firm understanding of the party.

But the ideology and beliefs that voting members have aligned themselves with under Cox, including claims that COVID-19 is a hoax and that mask mandates and lockdowns Hogan instituted were government overreach, left him more disillusioned with the party.

"They have a lot of soul searching to do, these Republicans," Weldon said.

Follow Jack Hogan on Twitter: @jckhogan