Hale Appears To Be GOP Gubernatorial Front Runner

It looks like Ed Hale in drivers seat in the Gubernatorial Republican primary.

That perception of Hale has changed within the past month, after he was criticized for not attending the first Republican candidate forum on March 26.

His biggest critic for not attending the event was from 2022 Gubernatorial candidate and fellow 2026 candidate Dan Cox. It appeared to many Republicans that Hale didn’t want to debate the other candidates and wasn’t taking the Republican primary seriously.

Cox was on the verge on reclaiming his top spot, but didn’t show up to the forum either, which nullified Hale’s absence.

Then Hale received a momentum boost last week when three state senators endorsed him for governor.

“I am honored to have received the endorsements of Senator Bailey, Senator Jennings, and Senator Salling. These are respected leaders who understand the challenges facing Maryland families and businesses. I look forward to working alongside them to restore affordability and prosperity to all Marylanders,” Hale wrote on Tuesday.

“These early endorsements mark a key milestone for our campaign, signaling growing momentum and unity among Republican leadership across the state.”

Is it over for Cox? It not all. Cox was running against GOP establishment candidate Kelly Schulz in 2022 and he pulled off the upset to win the nomination.

There are many Republicans that don’t like Hale being a registered a Democrat less than a year ago and switching parties. He has received many “RINO” labels.

The problem is that there is also Dan Cox fatigue from his blow out loss to Wes Moore in 2022.

Many of those anti-establishment/ anti-Hale voters are starting to shift over from Cox over to John Myrick.

And there also many Cox voters that don’t like Hale but will select Hale over Cox and the others because of his better odds to matchup with Wes Moore in November.

As we are two months out from the primary, Ed Hale appears to be the front runner.