Opinion: The power of unity in Maryland

Maryland Democrats had a party unity problem in the 2018 statewide election cycle. Amid a national blue wave fueled by resistance to President Donald Trump, about a third of their own voted to give incumbent Gov. Larry Hogan (R) a second term. And it wasn’t just the Democratic voters who broke ranks. Many Democratic lawmakers offered only halfhearted support for their gubernatorial nominee, Ben Jealous, and kept their distance from him on the campaign trail. Some, most notably State Comptroller Peter Franchot, withheld their endorsements altogether. The Democratic Senate Caucus Slate even funded mailers boasting about Democrats’ working relationship with the Republican governor.