Ed Hale, who is challenging Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) in the state’s 2026 gubernatorial primary, announced on Wednesday that he will switch parties to run against the Maryland governor as a Republican. 

A longtime Democrat known as the former chairman and CEO of 1st Mariner Bank, Hale was initially set to mount a primary challenge against Moore, a fairly popular governor viewed as one of the Left’s rising stars, as a member of his native Democratic Party.

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As he launched his campaign this week, Hale revealed he believed Moore holds too much power in the state to leave challengers any real chance at winning the primary. Running as a Republican and striking a centrist tone could broaden his base, Hale hopes, giving him leverage needed to keep Moore from easily clinching a second term as Maryland governor by wielding the commanding strappings of incumbency. 

“There’s no way I could win against Wes Moore with that machine he’s got,” Hale said during a press conference at the Canton Waterfront Park on Wednesday morning. “He takes all the money and oxygen out of a room, and I can’t do it. I’m a pragmatist, and I’m a moderate person. That’s just the way I am.” 

“I don’t believe I have a chance, based on the polling that was done, to beat him,” he added. “I had a chance, but it was not as good as I think I would have running as a Republican.” 

Hale said during a WBAL Newsradio interview Thursday that although he is no fan of President Donald Trump, he is willing to work with him, a bipartisan stance he hopes could help him with voters frustrated with Democrats’ antagonistic Trump resistance agenda. 

On priorities such as carrying out the Key Bridge rebuild, which is being planned after the major piece of regional infrastructure was toppled in a shocking incident last year, Hale believes Trump would be more willing to help him than Moore if the project faces a funding shortfall. 

“If the Key Bridge project comes up short $100 million, and I call Trump, I think he’d be more likely to help me than to help Moore,” Hale said.

Hale also suggested that the governor’s unfriendly stance toward Trump might have cost Maryland 50,000 jobs when the president decided to pull a FBI headquarters relocation project in the state earlier this year.

Both sides of the aisle attacked Hale after changing his party affiliation to Republican this week. 

Maryland State Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey, a Republican, said he had “concerns about the sincerity of his conversion to the Republican fold.” 

“Just because he may no longer feel comfortable associating with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party doesn’t mean he now embraces the Republican Party’s long-standing principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, individual liberty and strong public safety,” Hershey said. 

Meanwhile, Democratic Governors Association Communications Director Sam Newton released a statement denouncing Hale’s deflection.

“After quickly realizing running in a Democratic primary was nothing more than a bizarre fantasy, Ed Hale Sr. is showing his true colors as an out-of-touch Republican candidate,” he said. “No matter who jumps into this race, Marylanders across party lines will want to keep moving forward with Gov. Moore’s strong and popular leadership, which includes cutting taxes for the middle class, turning a $3 billion budget deficit into a surplus, and bringing homicides in Baltimore to a 50-year low.”

Hale has appeared unfazed despite the opposition, arguing he’s never viewed himself as a party loyalist and pointing to his record of voting for Republican governors and fundraising for Democrats. The gubernatorial hopeful has expressed optimism that he can win over voters to his campaign, which focuses on a business-friendly, pro-police, and anti-crime message. 

Hale has attacked Moore on the basis of widespread speculation that the incumbent governor plans to run for president in 2028.  

“I’m running for governor of the state of Maryland. I’m not running for president of the United States like Wes Moore is,” Hale said Wednesday. 

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Although Moore continues to enjoy widespread backing from Democrats, a recent poll by  Blended Public Affairs and Perry Jacobson lobbying firm indicated his reelection campaign faces real vulnerabilities.

Of those surveyed, 50% said they approved of Moore’s job performance. However, the gap between those who approve and disapprove of the governor’s performance narrowed to 8%, marking a drop of 13% in six months.