Maryland’s MAGA Gov Primary Too Trumpy for Michael Steele

Steele’s Exit Boosts Trump-Backed Dan Cox and Puts Pressure on Silent Schulz

Republicans suffered a massive blow yesterday when Michael Steele announced he would not run in the chaotic Maryland MAGA primary for governor.

Steele was a highly touted recruit who had the potential to “elevate the race’s national visibility and offer Maryland Republicans a choice of veering sharply away from Trump,” according to the Baltimore Sun. “He could be a very strong challenger in Maryland,” said Roger E. Hartley, dean of the University of Baltimore’s College of Public Affairs.

But the Maryland MAGA primary is too Trumpy for Steele. Steele warned of Republicans like Cox “taking away from democratic principles” by supporting the Big Lie. Cox notoriously organized buses to the January 6th rally and called Mike Pence a “traitor” for not overturning the election results. As a result, he’s been awarded with a major endorsement from Trump.

With Steele out, Kelly Schulz faces even more pressure to break her silence on Donald Trump, respond to Cox’s unpopular policies, and reveal her own stances. But no matter what she says, Schulz is in a lose-lose situation of either struggling to win the support of Trump’s base over Dan Cox or tying herself to even more harmful far-right positions.

Political commentator Frank DeFilippo previously said: “Schulz had better toughen her talk if she hopes to combat Cox’s grab-‘em-by-the-throat messaging.”

“Michael Steele knows he is dodging a bullet by staying out of Maryland’s MAGA primary, which continues to get more divisive by the day,” said DGA Deputy Communications Director Sam Newton. “With Steele now out, Dan Cox remains the pacesetter and the pressure is on Kelly Schulz to stop her silence.”

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