Maryland Republican Party
The Maryland Republican Party is the Maryland state branch of the Republican Party (GOP), headquartered in Annapolis. Current elected officials. Members of Congress. U.S. Senate Both of Maryland's U.S. Senate seats have been held by Democrats since 1987. Charles Mathias was the last Republican to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate. State Party. The Republican Party is the minority party in both houses of the Maryland General Assembly. In the House of Delegates, the Republicans control 42 seats to the Democrats' 99. In the Maryland State Senate, the Republicans control 15 seats to the Democrats' 32 . The Republican Party enjoys widespread support from Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore, both of which are mainly rural. In other areas of the state such as heavily populated Montgomery County, Prince George's County, and the City of Baltimore, Republicans are a minority. The majority of voters in the state of Maryland live in urban metropolitan areas such as Baltimore and are affiliated with the Democratic Party. In 2003, Michael Steele became the first African American elected to statewide office in the state of Maryland, when he was elected Lieutenant Governor. Prior to this, Steele served as the Chairman  of the Maryland Republican Party. In 2009, Michael S. Steele was elected chair of the Republican National Committee, the first African American to hold that position. Financial status. The "Washington Post" characterized the party as "close to broke" as of January 2009, with $703.10 on hand and $57,000 in loans and bills. The Maryland Election Board also ruled in 2009 that the Maryland GOP must return $77,500 to a campaign account of Steele's for party legal expenses that he had paid. In November 2011 the "Baltimore Sun" reported that the Maryland Republican party owed over $ 100,000 to vendors that stemmed from the 2010 election cycle. The picture changed after Republican Larry Hogan was elected as governor in November 2014. According to the "Washington Post", "Hogan raised nearly $1.4 million in the two months after the election" and the state party raised another $1 million. Current notable Maryland Republicans. Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. was the first Republican governor of Maryland since the 1960s, serving as governor from 2003 to 2007. He was defeated in the 2010 election by Democratic candidate Martin O'Malley. Ehrlich's wife, Kendel Ehrlich, is a notable state Republican who hosts , along with her husband, a conservative talk radio show on WBAL 1090-AM in Baltimore. Andy Harris was one of the few bright spots for Maryland Republicans in the 2010 election as he won a congressional seat back from the Democrats. Nicholaus R. Kipke became the House Minority Leader in 2013, by unseating Anthony J. O'Donnell. Larry Hogan is current governor, he defeated Democratic candidate Anthony G. Brown in November 2014. Boyd Rutherford was Hogan's running mate and is the current Lt. Governor of Maryland. In 2018, Hogan won re-election as Governor against Democratic challenger, Ben Jealous. This  makes him the first two-term Republican governor of Maryland since Theodore Roosevelt McKeldin. Current Leadership. The current officers of the Maryland Republican Party were elected at the Fall 2020 Convention to two year terms with the exception of the National committeeman and Committeewomen who were elected at the Spring 2020 convention to four year terms. The Maryland Republican Party also employs several staff members including an Executive Director, a Deputy Director, and a Data Director.