Larry Hogan defeats Anthony Brown
How did Hogan beat Brown for governor in Maryland Baltimore Sun opinion editor Andrew A. Green analyzes the surprising victory of Republican Larry Hogan over Democrat Antpatagonia womens better sweaterhony Brown in the Maryland governor s race. (The Baltimore Sun)
Baltimore Sun opinion editor Andrew A. Green analyzes the surprising victory of Republican Larry Hogan over Democrapatagonia backpack reviewt Anthony Brown in the Maryland governor s race. (The Baltimore Sun)
By Erin Cox, Michael Dresser, The Baltimore Sun contact the reportersRepublican Larry Hogan s campaign to Change Maryland scored a stunning upset Tuesday as he defeated Democrat Anthony G. Brown in the race for governor.
Hogan, 58, ran on a promisbuy patagonia kansas city1e to curb state spending and cut taxes. He will become Maryland s second Republican governor in half a century, and will face a Democratic controlled legislature that may not be willing to help him.
Brown conceded defeat shortly after midnight.
Hogan spokesman Adam Dubitsky acknowledged Maryland remains a Democratic stronghold but said voters wanted change.
It s not a realignment. It s not turning a blue state red, Dubitsky said. It s people who are tired of the last eight years.
Hogan, an Annapolis businessman, ran a comparatively shoe string campaign against Brown, who spent more than four times Hogan in a state where Democbuy patagonia kansas cityrats outnumber Republicans two to one.
Election 2014 Rediscount patagonia wetsuitssults: Governor s raceOpen link
Brown, a retired Army colonel and Harvard educated attorney, campaigned as the candidate to continue Gov. Martin O Malley s policies on education and the environment. It was a platform that some Democrats said invigorated them, and others said made them vote for a different direction.
Democrats held two other statewide offices, with Comptroller Peter Franchot winpatagonia outlet better sweater jacketning a third term and state Sen. Brian Frosh of Montgomery County succeeding Douglas F. Gansler as attorney general.
Brown piled up strong majorities patagonia boots at mjm shoe storein Baltimore city and the Washington suburbs but could not overcome a dismal showing in rural Maryland and suburban Baltimore. The lieutenant governor narrowly won the early voting, but Hogan swamped him with an Election Day surge.
The governor s race offered voters a sharp contrast between Hogan s laser focus on economic issues and Brown s broad pledge to create a better Maryland for all Mawomens patagonia better sweater vestrylanders.
Maryland Politics blogWhat they saying about Larry Hogan winSee all related8 As Hogan relentlessly hammered on the need to cut taxes, Brown eventually pledged not to raise them.
Critics said Brown failed to offer a clear vision to voters, instead working to portray Hogan as a dangerous Republican who would seek to overturn Maryland s abortion rights and gun control laws.
Hogan repeatedly denied that. The Republican portrayed Maryland as a state in economic crisis, with businesses and individuals moving elsewhere because of high taxes and burdensome regulatibuy patagonia kansas city3ons. He promised to roll back what he called O Malley s 40 consecutive tax increases, but offered no specibuy patagonia kansas city0fics on how he would pay for that.
Brown, meanwhile, toldpatagonia chile and argentina best time to travel voters he d work to close the gap between Maryland s most and least prosperous. As the signature issue of his campaign, Brown said he would gradually offer free pre kindergarbuy patagonia kansas city2ten to all Maryland 4 year olds. Skeptics questioned whether he had a realistic plan to pay for it.
Hogan attracted critics of his own. He argued he could cut state spending without reductions in public services, insisting he could find the savings by eliminating waste, fraud and abuse in state government. Detractors doubted that he could deliver on his promises, charging that his numbers didn t add up especially after independent reports showed his $1.75 billion waste cutting plan was riddled with errors.
Yet Hogan s message that Maryland residents are overtaxed andpatagonia everlong review qatar the state needs a new direction resonated for many voters in both parties.
Shannon Laue, a 43 yearpatagonia everlong review xds old beautician from Abingdon in Harford County, pointed to high tolls and the stormwater assessment fee, derided by critics as a rain tax, as reasons she voted for Hogan.
I can t tell you how many people are leaving Maryland and moving to Pennsylvania because of the tax increases, the registered Republican said.
In East Baltimore, lifelong Democrat Stephen Wheeler, 46, said he was disillusioned enough with Brown to cast a ballot for Hogan. Honestly it s definitely time for a change, he said.
Many Brown voters emphasized their loyalty to the Democratic Party, and suspicion of Republicans.
Mary Forbes, 90, said she s never voted for a Republican and wasn t about to start now. I was just voting against Hogan, said Forbes, who lives in Capitol Heights in Prince George s County. By being a Democrat, I vote for Democrats. I don t split the ticket.
But Lillian Chambliss, an independent from Bowie, said she liked Brown s emphasis on early childhood education. She said he struck her as an honest man who delivers on his promises.
I believe he has a genuine heart, said Chambliss, a 57 year old personal trainer. He wants to make everything better. Hopefully, he s going to make it better for everyone.
