Maryland, which boasts twice as many registered Democrats as registered Republicans, has been playing host to much more GOP primary campaigning than in years past, with Newt Gingrich scheduled to visit Baltimore for a campaign fundraiser on Thursday.
According to Maryland’s GOP party chair Alex Mooney, even a state as blue as ours (and with a later primary than some) can’t be overlooked by Republican candidates this campaign season because the primary race is “so wide open.” Though Mitt Romney is currently ahead in the polls, he may be leading by default as almost 50 percent of Republican primary voters are unsatisfied with the slate of candidates, according to an NBC News poll. And with the popular and polarizing Sarah Palin and Rudolph Giuliani possibly considering a run, Romney can’t get too comfortable yet.
What will Maryland Republicans do with this rare chance to raise their voices and be heard by their party’s presidential hopefuls? Will the GOP platforms this election season have a decidedly mid-Atlantic flair? Stay tuned.
