President Trump's first year plays heavily into Maryland politics.
'President Donald J. Trump remains deeply unpopular in Maryland, but his tumultuous first year in the White House has left an unmistakable imprint on state politics.
Proposals such as repealing the Affordable Care Act and eliminating federal funding for cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay fired up critics — though neither idea gained traction — and repeatedly forced Republican Gov. Larry Hogan to weigh in on thorny national political issues.
Hogan, a popular incumbent up for re-election in 2018, distanced himself from Trump on climate change, proposed cuts to Medicaid, provisions of the GOP tax overhaul and the president's remarks following a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville over the summer that turned violent.
The question for state political observers is how that dynamic will play out in the 2018 midterm election. In addition to the gubernatorial race, Democratic Rep. John Delaney's decision to run for president has left an open seat in his Montgomery County-based 6th Congressional District.
“Trump really excited part of the progressive base in Maryland, but it remains to be seen whether that excitement can be sustained,” said Mileah Kromer, director of Goucher College’s Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center.'>>>
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/blog/bs-md-yir-trump-local-impact-20171206-story.html