On the stump: Anthony Brown and Larry Hogan’s race for Maryland governor

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Republican Larry Hogan’s campaign to “Change Maryland” scored a stunning upset Tuesday as he defeated Democrat Anthony G. Brown in the race for governor.

Anthony Brown, lieutenant governor since 2007, was running as the political heir to Gov. Martin O’Malley — with all its advantages and disadvantages. Larry Hogan, a real-estate businessman and former official in Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.’s administration, had crafted a campaign message that focuses on pocketbook issues.

Brown announced his candidacy for Governor of Maryland May 10, 2013. Hogan formally announced his candidacy January 21, 2014.

Here’s a look at each candidate’s path from their respective candidacy announcements to the November 4 election.

In contrast to Brown’s barrage of negative television ads against Hogan, the Republican’s ad mostly stressed he was a small businessman who wanted to improve the economy of his state. One ad featured his daughter Jaymi Sterling defending her father as a supporter of women’s rights.

Brown entered both the primary and the general election as the presumed favorite in deep blue Maryland, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1. But Brown has been under fire because of the state’s botched health insurance web site, for which he had oversight responsibility, as well as criticism that the O’Malley-Brown administration increased the tax burden on Maryland families.

If elected, Brown would have made history on several fronts. He would become the first African-American and the first lieutenant governor to win Maryland’s top joband the third African-American in the nation to be elected governor of any state.

As Ehrlich’s appointments secretary, Hogan was responsible for finding suitable people to fill hundreds of jobs – a role that has given him an extensive list of contacts around the state. Hogan considered running against Gov. Martin O’Malley in 2010 but deferred to Ehrlich when his former boss jumped into the race.

Though he has never held elected office, Hogan ran a strong race against Democratic U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer in 1992. For three decades Hogan has run the Hogan Cos., a real estate business based in Annapolis.

Hours after winning their party primaries, Brown and Hogan exchanged the first salvos in November’s race for governor.

Each of the 7 candidates for governor in Maryland’s June primary – Heather Mizeur, Doug Gansler, David Craig, Ron George and Charles Lollar, in addition to Brown and Hogan – spent a record of almost $25 million, paying roughly $35 for every voter who showed up at the polls. Campaign finance reports filed with the State Board of Elections post-June 24 election show that the primary’s cost exceeded the total spent during the primary and general election four years ago by more than $2 million. – Tribune and wire reports