Democratic candidate Wes Moore holds a massive fundraising lead over Trump-backed opponent Dan Cox in the race for Maryland’s governor, reporting more than 10 times as much cash on hand as his Republican challenger.
Moore has raised $1.7 million over the last five weeks after winning the July primary, raising more than $10.5 million in total, according to fundraising reports. His campaign has about $1.3 million cash on hand, positioning himself far ahead of Cox’s campaign, which has about $141,200 on hand.
HOGAN CALLS TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE FOR MARYLAND GOVERNOR MENTALLY UNSTABLE
Comparatively, Cox’s campaign has raised about $800,000 as of Wednesday, with nearly a quarter being raised after he secured the Republican nomination on July 19, according to his campaign.
“This campaign is gaining momentum, and the people of Maryland have stepped up to the plate. Winning elections is not about having a lot of money,” Cox said in a statement. “It’s about having enough money.”
The race for Maryland’s governor has garnered national attention, particularly among the Republican Party, after a proxy war between outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD) and former President Donald Trump emerged during the primaries. Trump endorsed Cox for the GOP nomination, whereas Hogan backed his challenger, Kelly Schulz.
Since Cox’s primary victory, Hogan has refused to support his candidacy, going so far as to suggest he is mentally unstable.
“He’s not, in my opinion, mentally stable,” Hogan told WGMD radio earlier this month. “He wanted to hang my friend [former Vice President] Mike Pence and took three busloads of people to the Capitol.”
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Cox, a state delegate in Frederick, tweeted in January 2021 that he was organizing buses to transport protesters to the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. As rioters breached the Capitol, he tweeted that Pence was a “traitor.” He later apologized after being faced with a legislative ethics investigation, according to the Daily Record, a local news outlet.
Moore is likely to win the November election as Democrats vastly outnumber Republicans in the state, though it is not unprecedented for a GOP candidate to win, as Hogan has shown. The Cook Political Report has categorized the race as leaning Democratic, leaving Cox with a disadvantage.
