A Republican official in one of Maryland’s most ardent pro-Donald Trump counties says the former president’s conviction on Thursday is likely to galvanize his supporters.
“The hardcore Trump supporters will probably be all the more excited to vote for Trump,” said Julie Jo Quick, who chairs the Caroline County Republican Central Committee. “I think it will just solidify that Trump support.”
Trump became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes as a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
As he seeks a return to the White House in this year’s election, the judgment presents voters with another test of their willingness to accept Trump’s boundary-breaking behavior.
Caroline County, on the Eastern Shore, went for Trump in the 2020 election won by Democratic President Joe Biden. Trump said the election was “rigged,” and he said the same thing about the trial that ended Thursday.
Trump remains popular on the shore and in Western Maryland, although the state as a whole overwhelmingly backed Biden four years ago. In the state’s 2024 primary just over two weeks ago, Trump took 77% of the vote. Nikki Haley, who was no longer in the race, drew the support of 23% of GOP voters.
U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, a Republican who represents the Eastern Shore and Harford County, posted on X Thursday evening that the verdict “is a travesty of justice and a blatant attempt by the Biden Justice Department to jail a political opponent in the middle of an election year.”
While Trump faces federal charges in other cases, this prosecution was brought by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and was decided by a jury selected by the prosecution and the defense.
Nicole Harris, who chairs the Maryland Republican Party, said in a statement that Americans “are sick of a two-tiered justice system which is broken and corrupt.” She is the congressman’s wife.
Trump, the presumed Republican presidential nominee this year, would share the November ballot with Larry Hogan, the Republican former Maryland governor who is seeking an open U.S. Senate seat.
Hogan has long opposed Trump and counseled the party to move away from him. A statement he released just before the verdict was announced underscored the stark divide in the party.
“Regardless of the result, I urge all Americans to respect the verdict and the legal process,” Hogan’s statement, posted on social media, read. “At this dangerously divided moment in our history, all leaders — regardless of party — must not pour fuel on the fire with more toxic partisanship. We must reaffirm what has made this nation great: the rule of law.”
Among the intense replies to that comment, Trump’s co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita responded on X, telling Hogan: “You just ended your campaign.” Michael Caputo, a former Trump administration official, answered Hogan by telling Trump’s followers: “End his campaign, MAGA.” And U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, a Trump backer, took issue with Hogan’s advice in his reply: “I don’t respect this verdict. Nor should anyone.”
Hogan’s campaign did not respond to requests for an interview after the verdict.
While some Maryland Republicans held off on immediate public reactions, GOP congressional candidate Kim Klacik, running against Democratic Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., posted a photo of herself with Trump and said he “still has my vote.” Trump endorsed Klacik in her previous congressional bid, but has not done so this year. She and Olszewski are competing for an open seat in the Baltimore County-centered 2nd Congressional District.
Seven Republican members of Maryland’s House of Delegates also released a joint statement denouncing Trump’s case as “a third-world parody of law and order” and the verdict as “the conclusion of a kangaroo court.” It was signed by Dels. Kathy Szeliga, Robin Grammer, Ryan Nawrocki, all of Baltimore County; Brian Chisholm, of Anne Arundel County; Lauren Arikan, of Harford County; Mark Fisher, of Calvert County; and Matt Morgan, of St. Mary’s County.
Hogan’s Democratic opponent in the U.S. Senate race, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, has repeatedly tried to associate Hogan with Trump — including in a Friday morning fundraising email to supporters referring to the former governor “and his MAGA backers.” That message didn’t mention Trump’s conviction, though Alsobrooks also released a statement echoing many in her party by saying the verdict shows “nobody is above the law.”
“Today, the leader of the Republican Party was found guilty on all 34 counts. As a former prosecutor, I have the utmost respect for our justice system and the rule of law,” Alsobrooks wrote on social media, referring to her time as Prince George’s County’s top prosecutor.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, who represents Baltimore, was among the many other Democrats who shared similar thoughts.
“Donald Trump’s unanimous conviction on 34 counts proves that our system of justice is not a respecter of position, power, or privilege. This case, while historic in nature, proves that America’s system of equal justice under law remains steadfast,” Mfume said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.