Baltimore businessman Ed Hale Sr., 78, a lifelong Democrat, announced his switch to the Republican Party to run for Maryland governor, citing pragmatism after polling showed he couldn’t beat incumbent Democrat Wes Moore in the primary, and his belief that forcing out Gov. Moore is critical to saving Maryland.
Describing his platform, Hale emphasized a good mix of bipartisan objectives likely to prove quite positive to Republicans, such as job creation, tax cuts, support for nuclear power, and tough crime policies, such as jailing 14-year-olds. The newly minted Republican joins a growing field that includes John Myrick, Carl Brunner Jr., Christopher Bouchat, and Kurt Wedekind, amid speculation about former governors Larry Hogan and Robert Ehrlich.
Kicking off his comments on switching parties and hoping to defeat Moore, Ed Hale said, “There’s no way I could win running against Wes Moore with that machine he’s got. He takes all the money and oxygen out of the room. 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 had a chance, based on the polling that was done, to beat him. I had a chance, but it was not as good as it would be running as a Republican,” the former Democrat added in his thunderous statement, which went viral, given what it shows about Democrats switching sides and leaving Schumer’s party of awfulness.
Building on this point, Hale stated, “So, the big thing here is, I like building things. I like making things. I like hiring people. That’s the way it is. What we have right now are these career politicians with smiling faces that really, really don’t give a sh-t. You all know it. I do. I care.”
“I did it because they were going to win, and if you don’t do that, you’re just not very pragmatic or prudent,” the Maryland politician asserted in his initial announcement, “It’s just the way that I am. I want to vote for the winner.”
Adding more context, Ed Hale noted, “If you want to talk about labels, I’m the wrong person. You’re born in Baltimore — I’m from east Baltimore not too far from here — and you’re automatically a Democrat. But I stopped thinking about party affiliation except when I voted.”
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“If you’re building anything, you have to go with the party that’s in place, so you have someone to call to get a permit. I can sugarcoat it any way you want, but that’s the tool,” the courageous Republican pointed out, making his values clear.
Attacking the Democratic incumbent, he explained. “I want to attack … what we all know is a problem. I think we have dishonest people telling us things that are just not true, making us try to try to make us believe that these things are true, that the taxes are not going up. That fees are not going up. We all know it’s not true.”
Establishing his uncompromising attitude towards crime, Hale stated, “I think we should lower the date that they could go to jail — the age — down to 14. If that’s the one stealing the cars and doing that, put them in jail. Find the parents and get judgments against the parents, too. That will begin the parenting.”
“If Larry Hogan wants to run, if Bob Ehrlich wants to run — I’ve heard that, too – have at it. Let’s have a contest,” he said, making it clear that he would accept all changlegers in the crowded race for Maryland Governor.
Watch Hale explain his decision to run as a Republican here: