Maryland GOP Lawmakers Break From Trump Agenda in New 13,000-Vote Study
ANNAPOLIS — The Institute for Legislative Analysis released its 2026 vote record study of the Maryland General Assembly today, finding that many Republican state lawmakers have sharply declined in their alignment with President Donald Trump’s agenda and the National Republican Party Platform.
The study, the most comprehensive analysis of its kind on the Maryland General Assembly, examined more than 13,000 individual votes cast by lawmakers and measured each member’s adherence to the National Republican Party Platform on a 100-point scale.
The study found the scores of many Republican lawmakers dropped significantly compared to the 2025 legislative session. The decline was driven in large part by a shift among several Republican lawmakers toward now supporting policies that protect abortion access, gender affirming care, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, all issues central to the national political divide between the Trump administration’s agenda and the policy priorities advanced by Democrats.
“The data shows a number of Republican members have made significant shifts in their political philosophy,” said Ryan McGowan, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Legislative Analysis. “While it may be understandable why Republicans in swing districts adjust their stances to win elections due to the views of their constituency base, it is unclear why Republicans in some of the deepest red districts in the state have decided it is a good idea to so heavily rebuke the MAGA agenda. I have to believe that few, if any, Republicans in those districts would be supportive of their votes to push DEI, taxpayer funding for abortion, or higher property tax rates.”
The divide is clearest when reviewing both ends of the scorecard. Every Democratic member of the Maryland General Assembly earned a score below 20 percent, meaning they rejected the the MAGA position on policy at least 80 percent of the time. By contrast, fewer than a dozen Republicans, primarily members of the Maryland State Freedom Caucus, scored above 80 percent in voting alignment with the party platform.
The study also found that Republican leadership posted notably weak scores. House Minority Leader Jason Buckel received a 59.32 percent score, earning an F grade, while Senate Minority Leader Stephen Hershey received a 60.00 percent score, earning a D minus grade. Both voted against the MAGA position 40 percent of the time or more.
Most notably, the number of lawmakers who caucus as Republicans, but based on their voting records are philosophically Democratic due to scores below 50 percent, has more than tripled.
Lawmakers who identify as Republicans but have some of the lowest alignment scores include:
- Sen. Mike McKay — 27.12 percent
- Del. Stuart Schmidt — 30.51 percent
- Sen. Chris West — 32.20 percent
- Sen. Bryan Simonaire — 43.18 percent
- Del. Kevin Hornberger — 45.90 percent
- Sen. J.B. Jennings — 47.37 percent
The Institute for Legislative Analysis has uploaded the full study data to a digital platform (GOPScorecard.com) where voters, activists, journalists, and lawmakers can review individual profiles for every member of the Maryland General Assembly. Each profile shows a lawmaker’s overall platform alignment score as well as their alignment with each specific chapter of the National Republican Party Platform.