Dan Cox defeated Robin Ficker, Kelly Schulz, and Joe Werner in the Republican primary for governor of Maryland on July 19, 2022. Incumbent Gov. Larry Hogan (R) was term-limited and could not run for re-election.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Cox was an attorney and served in the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 4 since he was elected in 2018. In an interview with O’Connor & Company, Cox said he was running to “give freedom back to the people. After two years, we’ve been working to renew a vision of constitutional leadership that our party believes in.”^[5] Former President Donald Trump (R) endorsed Cox.^[3]

Schulz worked in the defense and cybersecurity industries before serving in government. She served as Maryland’s secretary of commerce from 2019 to January 2022.^[6] In an interview with Fox 5 DC, Schulz said she graduated from college and worked in Maryland and her “campaign is about offering those same opportunities to Marylanders all across the state that deserve the opportunity to exceed and excel.”^[7] Schulz was endorsed by Governor Hogan.^[4]

Both candidates highlighted education as a key issue of their respective campaigns. Cox said he supported parents’ rights in schools and would oppose “the use of taxpayer dollars to teach divisive, anti-American Marxism and pit students against one-another,” oppose mask requirements in schools, and “ban males from competing in female sports.”^[5]^[8]

Schulz said, “I introduced a parental bill of rights providing real school choice, record funding and accountability with education transparency.” She said she opposed school closures and mask and vaccine requirements in schools.^[9]

Cox ran with lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Gordana Schifanelli, Ficker with LeRoy Yegge Jr., Schulz with Jeff Woolford, and Werner with Minh Thanh Luong.

Maryland had a Republican governor since the 2014 election of Hogan. As of June 2022, The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the 2022 general election as Lean Democratic, while Sabato’s Crystal Ball viewed the race as Likely Democratic.

Dan Cox (R) and Robin Ficker (R) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.

This page focuses on Maryland's Republican Party gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial primary. For more in-depth information on Maryland's Democratic gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Governor

Republican primary for Governor of Maryland

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Dan Cox	52.0	153,423
	Kelly Schulz	43.5	128,302
	Robin Ficker	2.8	8,268
	Joe Werner	1.7	5,075

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 295,068
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Lieutenant governor

Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Maryland

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gordana Schifanelli	52.0	153,423
		Jeff Woolford	43.5	128,302
		LeRoy Yegge Jr.	2.8	8,268
	Submit photo	Minh Thanh Luong	1.7	5,075

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 295,068
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Dan Cox

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

Maryland House of Delegates District 4 (Assumed office: 2019)

Submitted Biography: "State Delegate Dan Cox has been fighting for the rule of law and our constitutional rights as a constitutional lawyer, businessman and elected official for nearly two decades."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Restore Freedom and End All Mandates, No Vaccine passports

Reduce Inflation by Suspending the Gas Tax, Reducing property taxes, reducing budget spending and returning the federal tax cuts to the people

Restore Parental rights, End CRT and Gender indoctrination, and end the sanctuary state. Make Maryland Safe and Great Again.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Maryland in 2022.

Robin Ficker

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

Maryland House of Delegates (1979-1983)

Submitted Biography: "A lifetime Maryland resident and former elected legislator, I have placed 25 ballot measures which received 2,537, 403 votes to pass Term Limits, property tax revenue increase limits, and to bar the trenching of sewage sludge and operating garbage dumps in residential zones. I spent the summers of 2020 and 2021 meeting residents of all 23 counties of Maryland and Baltimore City on the Ocean City Boardwalk. I have completed 40,000 in all Maryland courts, standing up for the rights of Marylanders, and have overturned 4 state/local laws in federal court, including one last year overturning durational and size restrictions on political signs on the Eastern Shore."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

To give every Marylander a fiscal stimulus every day by cutting the state sales tax 2 cents or $780 per year per household. No state has ever cut its state sales tax. Delaware, with which we share an 85 mile border, has no sales tax. This cut will send a nation-wide message that Maryland is business friendly..

I will form a Jobs Strikeforce to visit large companies all of which have shunned Maryland while our Maryland Department of Commerce was sleeping. In the last few years Amazon, Apple, Facebook/Meta, Global Foundries, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Nucor Steel, Samsung, Taiwan Semiconductor, Tesla and Texas Instruments have built multi-BILLION dollar projects in other states, not Maryland. We’ll reverse Maryland’s passivity and failure to attract major employers.

Keep schools open. It is inexcusable that Maryland ranked last of all the states in percentage of students participating in actual physical, non-virtual learning. Give parents a big say in whether students are safe, what they are taught, and whether they should be the victim of any mandates.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Maryland in 2022.

Kelly Schulz

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

Maryland House of Delegates District 4A (2011-2015)

Biography: Schulz received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Hood College. Her professional experience included working as a program manager for a Department of Defense contractor and as a real estate agent. Schulz served as Maryland secretary of labor, licensing, and regulation and Maryland secretary of commerce under the Hogan administration.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Schulz said her experience as Maryland secretary of commerce provided her with experience helping businesses. She also said she would “fight every effort by the legislature to raise taxes — and I will use my platform and position to fight for tax cuts every single year that I am in office.”

Schulz said, “I introduced a parental bill of rights providing real school choice, record funding and accountability with education transparency.” She said she opposed mask and vaccine requirements in schools.

In a campaign ad, Schulz said, “We must stand with law enforcement to provide more resources and training so that they can protect our communities and put violent criminals behind bars.” Schulz said that she worked to increase funding for law enforcement while working in the Hogan administration.

Show sources

Sources: YouTube, "Back the Blue," February 15, 2022; YouTube, "Parental Rights," February 25, 2022; Kelly Schulz's campaign website, "Issues," accessed June 17, 2022; LinkedIn, "Kelly Schulz," accessed June 17, 2022; Maryland Manual Online, "Kelly M. Schulz," accessed June 17, 2022

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Maryland in 2022.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

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Dan Cox (R)

Restore Freedom and End All Mandates, No Vaccine passports

Reduce Inflation by Suspending the Gas Tax, Reducing property taxes, reducing budget spending and returning the federal tax cuts to the people

Restore Parental rights, End CRT and Gender indoctrination, and end the sanctuary state. Make Maryland Safe and Great Again.

Race ratings: Maryland gubernatorial election, 2022
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 8, 2022	November 1, 2022	October 25, 2022	October 18, 2022
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Maryland, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Maryland's 1st	Andy Harris	Republican	R+11
Maryland's 2nd	Dutch Ruppersberger	Democratic	D+7
Maryland's 3rd	John Sarbanes	Democratic	D+10
Maryland's 4th	Open	Democratic	D+40
Maryland's 5th	Steny Hoyer	Democratic	D+15
Maryland's 6th	David Trone	Democratic	D+2
Maryland's 7th	Kweisi Mfume	Democratic	D+30
Maryland's 8th	Jamie Raskin	Democratic	D+29

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Maryland^[16]
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Maryland's 1st	41.7%	56.3%
Maryland's 2nd	59.4%	38.6%
Maryland's 3rd	61.7%	36.2%
Maryland's 4th	89.6%	8.7%
Maryland's 5th	67.4%	30.9%
Maryland's 6th	53.9%	44.1%
Maryland's 7th	81.0%	17.5%
Maryland's 8th	80.5%	17.9%

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Maryland county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Democratic	6	64.2%
Solid Republican	13	20.5%
Trending Democratic	1	9.5%
New Democratic	3	5.3%
Trending Republican	1	0.4%
Total voted Democratic	10	79.1%
Total voted Republican	14	20.9%

U.S. Senate election results in Maryland
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	64.9%	30.3%
2016	60.9%	35.7%
2012	56.0%	26.3%
2010	61.8%	36.3%
2006	54.2%	44.2%
Average	59.6	34.6

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Maryland, November 2022
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	7	9
Republican	0	1	1
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	8	10

State executive officials in Maryland, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Larry Hogan
Lieutenant Governor	Boyd Rutherford
Secretary of State	John C. Wobensmith
Attorney General	Brian Frosh

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	99
	Republican Party	42
	Vacancies	0
Total		141

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
Governor	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
House	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
2026 → ← 2018

Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: April 15, 2022
Primary: July 19, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Gov. Larry Hogan (Republican) Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Maryland
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
Maryland executive elections
Governor Lieutenant Governor Attorney General Comptroller

Gubernatorial election results in Maryland
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	55.3%	43.5%
2014	51.0%	47.3%
2010	56.2%	41.8%
2006	52.7%	46.2%
2002	51.5%	47.7%
Average	53.3	45.3

Demographic Data for Maryland
	Maryland	United States
Population	6,177,224	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	9,711	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	54.2%	70.4%
Black/African American	29.9%	12.6%
Asian	6.4%	5.6%
Native American	0.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0%	0.2%
Other (single race)	4.7%	5.1%
Multiple	4.5%	5.2%
Hispanic/Latino	10.3%	18.2%
Education
High school graduation rate	90.6%	88.5%
College graduation rate	40.9%	32.9%
Income
Median household income	$87,063	$64,994
Persons below poverty level	9%	12.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source	Notes
Maryland	Governor	Democratic or Republican	N/A	$290.00	4/15/2022	Source
Maryland	Governor	Unaffiliated	10,000	$290.00	8/3/2022	Source

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Larry Hogan (R)	55.4	1,275,644
	Ben Jealous (D)	43.5	1,002,639
	Shawn Quinn (L)	0.6	13,241
	Ian Schlakman (G)	0.5	11,175
	Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,813

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,304,512
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ben Jealous	40.9	231,895
		Rushern Baker III	30.3	171,697
	Submit photo	Jim Shea	8.6	48,647
		Krishanti Vignarajah	8.5	48,042
		Richard Madaleno	6.0	34,184
	Submit photo	Alec Ross	2.4	13,780
		Ralph Jaffe	1.7	9,405
	Submit photo	James Jones	1.6	9,188

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 566,838
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 210,935
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Larry Hogan/Boyd Rutherford	51%	884,400
	Democratic	Anthony Brown/Ken Ulman	47.2%	818,890
	Libertarian	Shawn Quinn/Lorenzo Gaztanaga	1.5%	25,382
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.3%	4,505
Total Votes				1,733,177
Election results via Maryland State Board of Elections

Demographic data for Maryland
	Maryland	U.S.
Total population:	5,994,983	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	9,707	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	57.6%	73.6%
Black/African American:	29.5%	12.6%
Asian:	6%	5.1%
Native American:	0.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	3%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	9%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	89.4%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	37.9%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$74,551	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	10.7%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Maryland. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Maryland	State Executive Elections	News and Analysis

Maryland State Executive Offices Maryland State Legislature Maryland Courts	2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 Maryland elections: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016	Party control of state government State government trifectas State of the state addresses Partisan composition of governors

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Maryland gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022 (July 19 Republican primary)

Candidates and election results

Governor

Republican primary election

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Dan Cox

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