BALTIMORE (WBFF) — The latest election loss is prompting calls for a major reset of Maryland’s Republican Party, including new leadership, stronger candidates and a broader appeal to voters.
State Sen. Chris West says the party needs to change course, while political analyst Roger Hartley says replacing the chair alone won’t be enough. Former Gov. Larry Hogan also warned Republicans need to listen more closely to voters.
Sen. West, a Republican who is leaving office, said the party should recruit stronger candidates and review its operations “from top to bottom.” He also called for a change at the top of the party.
“The party needs to decide whether or not it wants to lose in the future or win,” West said in an interview with FOX45 News. “If the party wants to stay on the same course, it will lose in the future.”
West criticized Republicans for nominating Dan Cox for governor again. Cox won 32.1% of the vote in 2022. In this year’s rematch, he received about 33% of the vote, according to unofficial state results, while Gov. Wes Moore won reelection with about 63%.
West said the party should have chosen a candidate with a stronger chance of competing statewide.
“We definitely need to recruit candidates and support candidates who can win elections,” he said. “That’s the first rule of politics.”
West said the Republican Party needs to “change course dramatically,” including replacing its leader. “Winning is the name of the game,” he said. “Otherwise, it’s just so much chatter.”
Former Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican who won two terms in Maryland, offered a broader warning during a discussion about the election and voter disconnection. He said Republicans who were swept up in the results were not focused enough on what voters cared about.
“I think it is a wake-up call because they were not in touch with the things that people cared about,” Hogan said.
Hogan urged elected officials to spend more time listening to constituents. “Less time on Twitter and more time out there, meeting real people would probably be a good thing for all of them,” he said.
Political analyst Roger Hartley said a new chair could help change the party’s message and culture, but he cautioned that leadership changes alone would not solve the party’s problems.
The broader challenge, Hartley said, is building a Republican Party that can compete beyond rural counties and reach suburban and urban voters.
Democrats, Hartley said, have been organizing in rural areas, fielding candidates where they can and taking their message directly to voters. Republicans now face competition for voters they have traditionally counted on, he said, and need to broaden their appeal.
The Maryland Republican Party’s chairwoman, Nicole Beus Harris, declined to discuss internal party matters.
“My policy is not to discuss internal Maryland Republican Party matters with the press,” she said in a statement. “Right now the MDGOP is focused on the ballot canvassing at hand and making sure that every legal vote is counted.”
Follow Political Reporter Mikenzie Frost on X and Facebook. Send tips to mbfrost@sbgtv.com.
This post was originally published on Fox 45 by Sinclair Media Group.
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