Dan Cox Wins GOP Nomination For Governor Over Kelly Schulz: AP

Updated at 10:50 a.m Wednesday

MARYLAND — Conservative Dan Cox, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has won the Republican primary for governor, according to unofficial results. The Associated Press called the race shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday.

If Cox's election night trend continues, he will face the winner of the Democratic primary in the Nov. 8 general election. That race had not been called late Tuesday night.

While there were four candidates vying for governor on the Republican ticket, for many GOP voters, it ultimately came down to considering Kelly Schulz, who is endorsed by Hogan, and Cox, who is backed by the former U.S. president.

As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, Cox remained ahead of Schulz, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections. With 2,035 of the 2,074 election precincts reporting, Trump's candidate has 132,428 votes (56.23%). Meanwhile, Schultz has 94,850 votes (40.27%).

Schulz said she isn’t giving up, telling WJZ there are many ballots yet to be counted.

“It is not over by a long shot, there’s more than 50 percent of the vote that needs to be counted and over 40,000 absentee ballots. In America and Maryland we count every vote.”

Election Results: Scroll down to the bottom of the story to see the latest numbers.

Meanwhile, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to congratulate Cox on his performance at the polls Tuesday night.

"Wow! Trump Endorsed Dan Cox is doing really well tonight in seeking the Republican Gubernatorial Nomination from the Great State of Maryland," he posted. "Not over yet, but RINO Larry Hogan’s Endorsement doesn’t seem to be working out so well for his heavily favored candidate. Next, I’d love to see Larry run for President!"

Despite being a win for Trump, Cox’s victory over former Hogan Cabinet member Kelly Schulz could be a blow to Republican chances to hold on to the governor's mansion in November. Hogan, who was prohibited from running for a third consecutive term, was a rare two-term Republican governor in a heavily Democratic state, and he had endorsed Schulz as the successor to his bipartisan style of leadership.

Cox has been a thorn in Hogan's side over the last few years, suing over the governor's stay-at-home orders and regulations in the early days of the pandemic and seeking unsuccessfully to impeach him for COVID-19 orders Cox called “restrictive and protracted.”

The Democratic race also features a tight contest between Comptroller Peter Franchot, small business owner Wes Moore and former U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez. Our coverage of the Democratic race is posted here.

Related: MD Governor's Democratic Primary Results: Franchot Vs. Moore, Perez

Patch will update this story with the Republican results as they roll in.

Election officials closed the lines to vote Tuesday at 8 p.m. Anybody in line by that time is allowed to vote. Polling locations will close when everybody in line has voted.

Maryland will only release the results for statewide races when every polling place in the state has closed. That means there are not yet any results available in the governor's race.

Unofficial ballot counts from early voting are now available for county contests. Early voting data for statewide races will be posted shortly. Refresh this story soon for more information.

Voters Voice Opinions

Patch visited the polling site at Odenton Elementary School on Tuesday to speak with voters.

Republicans are deciding which direction to take their party.

On one hand, they have a hard-line conservative in Cox. Schulz offers a more moderate approach. The voters that Patch interviewed seemed to prefer Schulz's bipartisan policies.

Republican Daniel Zell is unhappy with the direction of his party. He is frustrated that many GOP leaders have supported QAnon, an unfounded conspiracy theory alleging that satanists and pedophiles rule the world.

Zell is also worried that many of his fellow Republicans have glossed over the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. These rioters called for the 2020 presidential election to be overturned.

"I feel disenfranchised from my own party," Zell told Patch. "Whether it's believing in QAnon or if it's believing that Jan. 6 was just a dust-up, I have a problem with that. And I think people [who] truly represent my views should be on the ticket come November."

Zell thinks Republicans need to steer clear of this rhetoric. That's why Zell voted for Schulz.

The 35-year-old Zell believes that Schulz would have a chance in the general election because she is similar to Hogan. Zell thinks Schulz's bipartisan appeal would attract swing voters, even though Maryland is a deep blue state.

Republican Race

Goucher College conducted a poll one month before the primary election to gauge voter opinions. The poll suggested that 25 percent of Republican respondents planned to vote for Cox, the state delegate for District 4 in Frederick and Carroll Counties.

Another 22 percent said they preferred Schulz, who served as Hogan's Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Commerce. Attorney Joe Werner was in third place with 3 percent of the anticipated vote.

Around 44 percent of Republicans were undecided, and 47 percent could've changed their mind.

"Given the political demographics of the state, Republican candidates must earn around a quarter of Democratic votes to win statewide office," Kromer said in a press release. "Our polling suggests that the Republican primary race is competitive between Cox and Schulz, but that Schulz is in the best position to be competitive against the Democratic nominee in the general election."

Republican Priorities

Cox listed defending law enforcement as his main priority. His campaign website shows a video of him voting against police reform to limit the actions that officers can take during confrontations. Cox also wishes to protect gun rights, fight abortions and oppose teaching Critical Race Theory in schools.

Visit Cox's campaign website at this link.

Improving public safety is a major goal for Schulz. She plans to expand upon Hogan's campaign to "Refund The Police." Schulz additionally hopes to promote school choice, lower taxes and battle inflation.

Click here for additional details on Schulz.

Hogan's Next Move

Hogan's support is rare in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1.

The Goucher Poll found that 64 percent of Maryland Democrats have a favorable view of Hogan. Similarly, 67 percent of Republicans have a favorable view of the governor.

This bipartisan approval helped Hogan become the second Republican governor to be re-elected in the state's history.

Some think Hogan could move over to the U.S. Senate after his term is up. The governor, however, ruled out that possibility earlier this year.

Rumors have swirled that Hogan is considering a presidential run in 2024. Hogan frequently quarreled with Trump during his presidency. In a potential presidential bid, Hogan may attract moderate Republicans and deflect stronger conservatives that prefer Trump.

About 39 percent of Maryland Republicans would consider voting for Hogan in a potential GOP presidential primary, Goucher said. In comparison, 45 percent would not consider voting for him and 11 percent said "it depends."

When Will The Results Be Certified?

The Maryland State Board of Elections expects to certify the final results during the week of Aug. 8. Officials will announce the unofficial early voting and election day results on Tuesday evening, but they still have to count the mail-in, dropbox and provisional ballots.

State law says these tallies must start and end on specific dates after election day. That means the final and official results will come a few weeks after voters hit the polls.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Unofficial Ballot Count

Governor / Lt. Governor

Republican Candidates - Vote for 1

County Break Down (2035 of 2074 election day precincts reported)

Democratic Candidates - Vote for 1

County Break Down (2035 of 2074 election day precincts reported)