Maryland Republicans who lost midterms say party should prioritize mail-in voting

November’s midterm elections in Maryland noticed overwhelming Democratic success, leaving Republicans upset and dashing hopes of a “purple wave” within the state — a phenomenon Republican candidates who misplaced their elections now attribute to a wide range of various factors.

On CNN’s “State of the Union” on Nov. 13, outgoing Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, mentioned he was anticipating a “big purple wave.” Hogan blamed former President Donald Trump for an enduring affect on the Republican Get together nationwide.

“It’s principally the third election in a row that Donald Trump has value us the race, and it’s like, three strikes, you’re out,” Hogan mentioned on CNN.

Regardless that Trump endorsed Dan Cox, the Republican candidate for governor, not all Republicans within the state share Hogan’s opinion that the Trump presidency discouraged folks from voting Republican. Others have mentioned an inflow in mail-in ballots and assaults from opponents are guilty.

The Senate race in District 9, which represents elements of Carroll and Howard counties and had a Republican senator for greater than 30 years till 2018, was slated to be shut between Democrat Katie Fry Hester and Republican Reid Novotny. Ultimately, Hester beat Novotny.

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Novotny mentioned he thinks there are quite a few contributing elements to the Republican losses throughout the state and nation.

“The Democrats are utilizing Donald Trump as a boogeyman,” Novotny mentioned. “My opponent, who received the race, painted me as an insurrectionist and a traitor, and put out flyers.”

Novotny mentioned he doesn’t suppose being related to Trump made him lose the race, however it could have misplaced him votes in the long term.

Novotny pointed to the Republican Get together’s distrust of mail-in ballots as one of many greatest elements impacting Republican voter turnout.“4 years in the past, we should always have began getting extra folks snug with the truth that they’ll vote early and vote in mail,” Novotny mentioned. “I might be protected to say that Democrats beat Republicans in mail and early voting most likely all over the place all through the state.”

Brenda Thiam, who ran to characterize District 2B within the Home of Delegates and misplaced, agreed with Novotny.

“Mail-in ballots … it’s the kryptonite for Republicans, however we’ve received to embrace it,” Thiam mentioned.

To Thiam, permitting the Republican Get together to embrace mail-in ballots means creating stricter voting identification necessities. Maryland, verifies that mail-in ballots are signed however don’t confirm the signature itself.

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“What we are able to do is voter ID,” Thiam mentioned. “That’s a technique that we are able to work in the direction of making certain that voting is with integrity, is with constancy, and it’s completed with as minimal fraud and errors as attainable.”

Whereas there isn’t a proof that mail-in ballots permit for extra voter fraud, Republicans are sometimes much less prone to vote via mail than Democrats.

Martin Madden, a former Republican state senator, additionally mentioned Republicans should discover a option to shut the hole with mail-in ballots.

“Till Republicans discover a option to counterbalance that or at the very least steadiness it considerably, it’s going to be an uphill race for future Republican candidates to beat,” Madden mentioned.

Madden mentioned Trump’s presidency did play a job, saying that seeing a Trump-endorsed candidate on the high of the poll doubtless swayed voters who have been on the fence away from voting Republican.

Thiam mentioned there was not a single core subject that led to Republicans’ weak efficiency within the midterms.

“It’s simple to attempt to dangle our hat on one factor that brought about Republicans to lose the way in which that they did,” Thiam mentioned. “It was many causes that we are able to establish that brought about us to lose the entire seats that we actually thought that we have been going to both preserve or win.”