Top-Tier Democrat Gubernatorial Recruit Rep. John Delaney Passes On Running In Maryland 

Democrats were dealt a blow late this week as Congressman John Delaney, a top-tier gubernatorial recruit, will reportedly skip running for Maryland governor in 2018. Delaney’s choice to sit out the governor’s race adds to Democrat woes as they routinely fail to convince many of their top Gubernatorial recruits to run in 2018. With Maryland GOP Governor Larry Hogan’s approval rating consistently at 70% and a large majority of voters agreeing that the state is on the right track, look for other Dems – like Delaney – to refuse to run.

POLITICO reports:

“Five Democratic sources in the state said buzz about the Delaney’s intentions for 2018 and 2020 has been building for weeks, with increasing chatter about a presidential bid. Delaney, who could self-fund a run for governor, will skip a challenge against popular GOP Gov. Larry Hogan. He will also leave Democrats to defend his district, which he nearly lost in 2014. Democrats in the state believe he will announce his plans in a Washington Post op-ed on Friday…

Delaney’s decision to skip the governor’s race against Hogan, whose approval rating often tops 70 percent in public polling, removes a self-funder from the mix in the Democratic primary and leaves the moderate lane wide open for other candidates.”