Larry Hogan’s campaign to become Maryland’s Governor faced major challenges, not least of which was that Democrats hold a 2 to 1 voter registration in the state. In the end, the Hogan campaign was outspent by a 3 to 1 margin, with outside groups pouring in millions of dollars attacking Hogan on social issues, abortion and gun control. No one thought this race was winnable by a Republican, in fact Nate Silver’s fivethirtyeight.com said the Democrat candidate would win by 9.7 points.

The Results:

Larry Hogan won the Maryland Governor’s race by 5 percentage points. The Washington Post called Hogan’s win a “stunning upset,” Politico called it both an “historic” and “shocking” upset, and the National Review called it “the biggest upset of the cycle.”
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How? Larry Hogan stayed on his message of fiscal discipline, job creation, and lower taxes. He talked about the 40 new taxes imposed by the previous administration everywhere he went. Hogan was never drawn into debates on social issues, staying focused on what mattered to voters. He also had a strong social media presence, boasting 120,000 Facebook followers vs. his Democrat opponent’s 17,000.

Hogan wins with 51% of the vote