Wes Moore has $70 to spend on reelection for every $1 any GOP candidate has

At this time four years ago, the top Republican candidates for governor combined to spend more than $1 million as they headed toward their primary election.

Most of the spending was from Kelly Schulz, flush with cash as then-Gov. Larry Hogan’s handpicked successor, but eventual winner Dan Cox spent hundreds of thousands as well. Their money went to ads, mailers and consultants, and for Cox, a trip to Florida to woo Donald Trump for an endorsement.

This year’s crop of Republican gubernatorial hopefuls, on the other hand, are putting together low-dollar campaigns as they vie for a chance to go up against deep-pocketed incumbent Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, according to the latest round of campaign finance reports.

Cox, who is running again, has about $25,000 in the bank. The biggest fundraiser in the Republican field is retired banker Ed Hale Sr., who has $109,000 in his account.

Candidates were required to file reports by midnight Tuesday that detailed their campaign fundraising and spending during a roughly four-month period from mid-January through last week.

The other seven candidates on the Republican ballot reported minimal campaign finance activity. Some of them raised so little money — less than $1,000 — that they weren’t required to file detailed reports.

Large sums of money are not required to win an election, but cash helps a candidate get their message out through advertising, mailers and events.

Campaign donations are also an indicator that the candidate has support among voters and businesses — a way to gauge a candidate’s viability in the absence of public polling.

Whoever wins the Republican primary is likely to face Moore, who began the year with $8 million and still has more than $7.6 million in the bank, even as he pays a large staff and put on two splashy rallies to launch his campaign a couple of weeks ago.

Moore and his running mate, Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, were banned from raising money during the 90-day, January-through-April state legislative session. They raised more than $900,000 in the four weeks after the session.

“Marylanders across the state know Gov. Moore has jumpstarted Maryland’s economy, made our communities safer, and strengthened our public schools–that’s why this campaign continues to see massive momentum heading into reelection,” Moore campaign spokesman Carter Elliott IV said in a statement.

The Republicans are nowhere close to that type of fundraising prowess.

Hale, as the top fundraiser, took in about $195,000 in donations and spent about $90,000 during the reporting period.

Hale, a former banker and businessman who owns the Baltimore Blast soccer team, switched parties from Democratic to Republican last year to run in this race, after he said polling showed he had no chance against Moore in the Democratic primary.

Hale, through a spokesman, declined to comment.

Cox, meanwhile, was the 2022 nominee, losing to Moore by more than 30 points. He’s a lawyer and former state delegate aligned with President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.

Cox’s report showed $31,000 in donations and another $31,000 in loans to the campaign. He spent about $37,000.

Cox did not respond to requests for comment. In a radio interview Wednesday morning, Cox claimed that he is “over 30 points above” Hale in the Republican primary.

“We’re crushing it,” Cox said on WFMD radio, a Frederick station.

The other Republicans on the ballot are Carl A. Brunner Jr., L.D. Burkindine, Douglas Larcomb, John Myrick, Michael Oakes, Nancy Jane Taylor and Shannon Wright.

There’s one other candidate on the Democratic ballot, Eric Felber.

Andy Ellis is seeking the Green Party nomination, along with lieutenant governor running mate Owen Silverman Andrews. They’re using public financing for their campaign, unlocking funds from the state as they report small-dollar donations.

Voting by mail ballot has already started for the Republican and Democratic primaries, though elections officials are in the process of sending replacement ballots to some voters who received ballots for the wrong party.

In-person early voting begins on June 11, with Election Day on June 23.