Democracy Dies in Darkness

Maryland GOP at war with itself after Dan Cox’s failed governor’s race

Cox’s running mate accuses him of ‘infantile tantrums’ and blaming her for his loss as state Republican officials choose new leaders Saturday

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Updated December 9, 2022 at 10:16 a.m. EST|Published December 8, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EST
Republican Gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox addresses supporters at an election night watch party in Annapolis. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)
6 min

Since their historic drubbing in last month’s election, Maryland Republican leaders have talked about rebuilding and reunifying a party whose infighting, disorganization and taste for extremist candidates have seemingly doomed its near-term appeal to many of the state’s voters.

But as state GOP officials prepare to gather at their convention this weekend — taking a fresh look at the party’s infrastructure and choosing a new set of officers to lead them out of the political wilderness — the odds of reconciliation and cooperation are not looking good.