Republicans make inroads with women voters

In the deeply blue state of Maryland, the GOP gubernatorial nominee knew he could not win unless he could convince significant numbers of Democratic and independent women to cross party lines and vote for him on pocketbook concerns.

But with the Democratic attacks, “There was a cacophony in the D.C. market, right out of the ‘war on women’ playbook,” recalled Ashley O’Connor, one of Hogan’s campaign consultants. “If this went unanswered, we were afraid this could turn into a running narrative.”

As they considered the alternative versions of the ad, they realized they had found the perfect emissary — one who could speak not just to his positions, but also to his values.

“Let me tell you about my dad, Larry Hogan. He married my mom and became the father of three independent, strong young women,” said the candidate’s daughter, who is Korean American and has the courtroom polish of a prosecutor, which she happens to be.