Maryland Republican Party

Republican Party of Maryland
Chairman	Alex X. Mooney
Senate leader	E.J. Pipkin
House leader	Anthony O'Donnell
Founded	1854
Headquarters	15 West Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
Ideology	Conservatism
National affiliation	Republican Party
Seats in State Upper Houses	12 / 35
Seats in State Lower Houses	43 / 141
Website
http://www.mdgop.org/
Politics of the United States Political parties Elections

The Maryland Republican Party is the branch of the United States Republican Party (GOP) located in the state of Maryland, headquartered in Annapolis.^[1] It is historically the underdog party in state politics.^{[citation needed]}

Current elected officials

Members of Congress

U.S. House of Representatives

• Andrew P. Harris, 1st District
• Roscoe Bartlett, 6th District

Statewide offices

• None

State Legislature

• Senate Minority Leader: E.J. Pipkin
• House Minority Leader: Anthony O'Donnell

County government

As of 2011 the Maryland GOP is the majority party of county governments. It holds 15 of 23 counties excluding Baltimore City. It controls 9 out of the 15 Majority Control counties including all of Western Maryland for the first time.

State government

It doesn't control executive offices.

In the House of Delegates it gained six seats in the 2010 election. In the state Senate it lost two seats in 2010 including the seat that was held by the GOP Chairman Alex Mooney.

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 43 seats to the Democrats' 98. In the Maryland State Senate, the Republicans control 12 seats to the Democrats' 35. Because of this more than two-to-one government majority, predominantly Republican areas of Maryland, such as the Eastern Shore, become worried that their representatives' voices are not being heard.

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.

In comparison to the national Republican Party, the Maryland Republican Party is trending more conservative. This is especially true concerning social issues and immigration. For example, Republican Congressman Wayne Gilchrest pro-choice on the abortion issue was defeated by pro-life state senator Andy Harris in the Republican primary in 2008.

Former chair of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele

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.

Important historical members of the Maryland Republican Party have included former Governor and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew and former Senator Charles Mathias.

Current events

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 for party legal expenses that he had paid.^[2] The party has since rebounded under new leadership and is fundraising at a record pace. As of April 2010 the party had surpassed all of 2009's fundraising totals and had erased nearly all of its debt.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ "Contact the MGOP." Maryland Republican Party. Retrieved on May 13, 2010.
2. ^ Md. GOP Weighs Ouster of Chief Amid Debt and Decrease in Rolls

External links

Maryland portal

• Maryland Republican Party
• Maryland Young Republicans
• Maryland Federation of College Republicans
• [1]