Maryland Gov.-elect Larry Hogan includes Democrats on transition team

The Washington Times ^ | November 17, 2014 | S.A. Miller

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

ANNAPOLIS — Preparing to launch a Republican administration in deep-blue Maryland, Gov.-elect Larry Hogan on Monday introduced a transition team that included some familiar Democratic faces as he moved to avoid some of the partisan confrontations that stymied the state’s last Republican governor.

Mr. Hogan repeatedly promised to lead a bipartisan executive branch that would be staffed with experts, not partisans, to work with the heavily Democratic General Assembly to tackle the state’s severe budget and economic problems.

“We have an enormous challenge ahead of us,” Mr. Hogan told reporters as he introduced six members of his transition team. “I’m looking for the smartest, most capable, most experienced, most talented people we can find, whether they are Democrat or Republican, whether they have business experience or government experience, whether they come from Maryland or from somewhere else.”

The transition team was the latest signal from Mr. Hogan to the Democratic leadership of the General Assembly that he wanted to avoid the bitter partisan feud that engulfed Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who was elected in 2002 as the state’s first Republican governor in 33 years and served one term before being defeated by Democrat Martin O'Malley.

Mr. Ehrlich weathered lawsuits for firing longtime Democratic appointees and suffered criticism for hiring Republicans with questionable credentials, including professional ice dancer Gregory Maddalone for a top job at the Maryland Department of Transportation.

Mr. Hogan won an upset victory over Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, a Democrat who, after serving eight years with Mr. O'Malley, expected to coast to an easy win in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-to-1.

[AuH2ORepublican]

“Just south of us is IL, which is also far from the nation’s capital. How did we elect a Republican majority but IL didn’t?”

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Mainly, for two reasons: (i) Milwaukee is only 10% of WI’s population, while Chicago is 21% of IL’s population and (ii) Republicans drew the district lines in WI in 2011 while Democrats drew the district lines in IL that year.

[RinaseaofDs]

Washington is the Bluest State. Liberals backed by Gates money. Talk about a stronghold.

[sauropod]

I’m one of ‘em.

[sauropod]

I agree. “Moderate” Democrats like Jim Brochin are anything but, if you let them talk long enough.

[DPMD]

Caving already and not even inaugurated. McCain would be proud.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Washington has the money lure... Chicago not so much.

[Catsrus]

I will not comment on this new governor because I don’t live in MD, and those who do have the expertise as to what goes on in that deep-blue state. So, I’ll sit on the sidelines and watch, and hopefully, this new governor can get things done that need to be.

[sickoflibs]

RE:”Unfortunately, this is Maryland, where the GOP is inherently VERY weak. Hogan will have to play ball with the Dems to get an agenda through a hostile legislature. Picking off some reasonable Dems he can work with is his best approach.
He can’t do things the same way as Walker, Kasich or Scott, all of whom are fortunate to have GOP legislative majorities. If he tries an exclusively “Republican” approach, he might as well spend the next 4 years going to supermarket openings, because nothing will get done and he’ll be just as swiftly voted out.”

Not disagreeing with any of that but that's how they trapped GOP gov Ehrlich so O Malley could beat him in 2006.

They sent him popular spending bills to him to sign that he was scared to veto, soon he was looking at state bond problems and went with Dem assembly raising taxes while claiming that he wasnt,
Then all O Malley had to do was call him dishonest.

Then OMalley raised about ~44 taxes himself.

[fieldmarshaldj]

And therein lies the danger for Hogan.

[Cen-Tejas]

Thank you for including me in your thoughtful response and I do see your points.

Basically, he’s going to have to try and work some LBJ type legislative magic don’t you think?

Don’t mis understand, I am anything but an LBJ fan. I live 15 miles from his library since it was built and have never visited it. But, he did pull off some legislative miracles in his time.

[sickoflibs]

RE:”Basically, he’s going to have to try and work some LBJ type legislative magic don’t you think?”

Also on the tax front Ehrlich wanted casinos in Maryland to bring in $$$ without raising (other) taxes and the Dem assembly and O Malley opposed it(so Ehrlich would be forced on taxes) ,
then as soon as OMalley became governor he called for legal gambling and got it so he could spend that $$.

[sickoflibs]

RE:”Basically, he’s going to have to try and work some LBJ type legislative magic don’t you think?”

To be honest I don't know how he will handle the sleazy shenanigans that Dems pulled on Ehrlich ,
Ehrlich was a bit weak and his second (failed) run in 2012 was outright pathetic, he never should have tried that,

[Impy]

2010 you mean.

He lost by an embarrassing margin.

[Theodore R.]

You are right about Hogan, and the GOP insiders are wrong.