Trump-backed Cox wins Maryland GOP primary for governor

Dan Cox, endorsed by former President Trump, won the Republican primary for Maryland governor Tuesday, defeating a moderate rival backed by outgoing GOP Gov. Larry Hogan.

The Associated Press called the race for Cox, a state legislator, with over 64% of the votes counted. He had 56.4% of the vote, compared to 40.2%  for his closest rival, Kelly Schulz, who is a member of the outgoing Hogan administration.

Cox has said Democrat President Biden’s victory shouldn’t have been certified, called former Vice President Mike Pence a "traitor" and sought unsuccessfully to impeach Hogan for his pandemic policies, according to the wire service.

He will face the winner of the still-too-close-to-call Democratic primary, in liberal-leaning Maryland.

Top candidates in that race include former Labor Secretary and Democratic Party Chairman Tom Perez, bestselling author Wes Moore and state Comptroller Peter Franchot.

Democrats appear to have gotten the General Election challenger they want. The Democratic National Committee reportedly put over $1 million into an ad intended to boost Cox in the GOP primary.

While Maryland leans Democrat in presidential and congressional elections, the state twice sent Hogan, a moderate Republican and Trump critic, to the governor's mansion.

Maryland law requires the state to wait until the Thursday following the election to begin counting mail-in ballots, meaning the final vote tallies may not become known for several days.