Md. Senate’s top 2 Republicans relinquishing leadership posts

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The top two Republicans in the Maryland Senate will not seek reelection to their leadership posts.

Sens. J.B Jennings and Steve Hershey, the minority party leader and whip, respectively, made the announcement late Tuesday night. The pair were facing a challenge in an election scheduled for Saturday.

“After six years of serving this Caucus as its Leader and Whip, we are incredibly proud of the work we have done to support our party, our members, our constituents and the people of Maryland. We have accomplished a great deal, and we believe now is the time to allow a new team to build on this success and lead our caucus into the 2022 election season,” said Jennings and Hershey in a joint statement.

The pair were first elected to the positions by their fellow Republicans in 2014 and are the longest-serving leader and whip in the history of the caucus, according to their statement.

But the Senate and its political temperament have changed in six years. The decision by Jennings and Hershey may also signal a move to the right by the Republican caucus and some members who are less interested in collaboration with the Democratic majority that outnumbers them 2-1.

Six years ago, there were 14 Republicans. Heading into the 2018 election, Republican senators and Gov. Larry Hogan were hopeful that their “drive for five” — an effort to increase the number of  Republicans in the Senate to 19 — would be successful. Such an increase would allow Republicans to filibuster and protect Hogan’s flank by thwarting veto overrides.

Those efforts fell short. The caucus picked up two Democratic Senate seats in Baltimore County and on the Eastern Shore but lost a Republican seat. The result was a net increase of one seat in a year in which Democratic voters split tickets, voting for the popular Hogan brand of Republican Party but rejecting others, redirecting their anger over President Donald Trump.

But some Republicans within the caucus grumbled privately that Jennings and Hershey failed to have a plan to pick up seats.

The result of the 2018 election also moved the Democratic caucus further to the left. This move was accentuated in October 2019 when Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr, the longest-serving Senate leader in the country and in the history of the state, announced he would not seek another year as presiding officer. The septuagenarian Senate strong man who had tempered the politics of his chamber to a degree over three decades was now sidelined by age and an ongoing battle with an aggressive and likely terminal form of cancer.

Sen. Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore, collected the votes to succeed Miller and bring a more progressive style of politics to the leadership.

Jennings and Hershey over the 2020 session attempted to maintain the collegial relationship with Ferguson that they had for more than five years with Miller.

“Minority Leader Jennings and Minority Whip Hershey have been steadfast advocates for the Republican Caucus and their issues during their time as Leader and Whip,” Ferguson said in a statement issued late Tuesday night. “They have been able to disagree without being disagreeable, and their leadership has helped the Senate produce better legislation for all Marylanders. At a time when partisanship has reached extremes, Senators Jennings and Hershey always focused on what is most important: solving problems for our constituents. This leadership style benefited all Marylanders, regardless of political affiliation. I respect their decision to step down from their positions, and I am hopeful that the Minority Caucus will elect leaders who will continue to focus on the values of productivity and collaboration that define the Senate of Maryland.”

But that relationship lauded by Ferguson may have contributed to the discontent within the caucus.

Some Republicans privately expressed concern that the caucus under Jennings and Hershey was not doing enough to promote the party philosophy on the floor. The pair had fewer news conferences than Republicans in the House, lacked a legislative agendas, failed to raise enough funds to help in Senate races, and were generally reluctant to issue statements or push Republican arguments on social media, some members felt.

There was also a perception among some Senate Republicans that their leaders were unwilling to tussle with Ferguson and the left wing of his party.

Sen. Michael Hough, R-Frederick, is a likely challenge Hershey for his position. Sen. Bryan Simonaire, R-Anne Arundel, has emerged as a potential challenger to Jennings.

When he did use social media, Hershey — primarily with his Twitter account — placed Republican senators from competitive districts in politically difficult positions, some felt.

For instance, Hershey pushed back hard when President Trump flirted with the notion of delaying the Nov. 3 election because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“For anyone sitting on the sidelines who won’t speak loudly, I’ll say it again for those in the back: We aren’t delaying our November election. It is an absurd notion, an unAmerican suggestion and one that every Republican colleague of mine should disavow, without hesitation,” Hersey posted on Twitter in a message.

Some Maryland Republicans said Hershey’s response potentially put Republicans in competitive districts in Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Harford counties in a difficult position. Others complained that the message wasn’t intended to spotlight members of the Maryland Senate.

Hershey was also criticized by some for messages on Twitter following a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, an incident he called an incident of white nationalist terrorism. Again, it was a message that pro-Trump Republicans thought was a rebuke of the president.