Democrats in Maryland try to run against Trump in attempt to defeat popular GOP governor--It is not working

Washington Times:
Maryland Democrats are hoping voters are so dismayed by what is happening across the border in the District of Columbia that they will take it out on Gov. Larry Hogan in this year’s elections.

Mr. Hogan is among the most popular governors in the country despite being a Republican in deep-blue Maryland, and Democrats are desperate to try to ruin the relationship. One of their chief weapons is President Trump.

In one line of attack, Democrats are demanding that Mr. Hogan take a stand on Mr. Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court and say the fate of abortion rights hangs on the next justice.

Democrats also have accused Mr. Hogan of joining Mr. Trump to undermine the legitimacy of the special counsel’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Mr. Hogan said those issues aren’t relevant to his job, and voters so far seem to be OK with that.

“Sticking Trump to Hogan has really just not worked,” said Todd Eberly, a political science professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

The governor’s approval rating is approaching 70 percent in some polls, and even polling commissioned by Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ben Jealous shows Mr. Hogan ahead 49 percent to 40 percent.

That is all the more stunning in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1.

Analysts say Mr. Hogan has managed to escape the Trump trap. Many voters dissatisfied with Washington like how things are going in Maryland.

“If you’re a standard Democrat and you watch Larry Hogan, your blood pressure’s going to remain normal,” said Richard Vatz, a rhetoric and communication professor at Towson University in Baltimore County.
...
The unstated problem for Democrats is that their party has a long history of corruption in Maryland.  Hogan has governed with integrity and that is a refreshing change from many voters.  The Democrat candidate is too tied to the old Democrat machine.  I suspect that Trump is not nearly as hated by the average voter as he is by the Democrat hardliners who are seeing their patronage opportunities dwindle.

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