What’s happening?
Former donors to Republican Gov. Larry Hogan have given four times as much to Democratic nominee Wes Moore than to the Republican nominee, Dan Cox, according to a report by the Capitol News Service published in Baltimore Fishbowl. Moore’s campaign received $117,861 from Hogan’s past contributors, while Cox’s campaign brought in $29,727.
Why are these donors crossing party lines?
Though most contributors declined to comment on their decision to support Moore, others cited an ideological shift in the state and their approval of his stance on the issues.
Paul Bollinger, a private individual contributor from Anapolis who works for a nonprofit assisting people with disabilities, said he donated to Moore because he supports health care for all people in Maryland. Though Bollinger was a formerly registered Republican, he said he didn’t consider donating to Cox because “some of his core ideas and beliefs are not positive for Maryland.”
Maryland voters also tend to be more moderate, said Nina Kasniunas, chair of the political science department at Goucher College. “When you have a candidate like Dan Cox who is part of the wing of the party that is in support of Donald Trump, what you’re seeing with the giving of Republicans to Wes Moore is a denunciation of that and what that stands for.”
Anything else I should know?
So far, Moore has raised about $10.5 million, which is about 10 times more than Cox, according to an NBC Washington article.
You can read more here.
