Ed Hale, who is challenging Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) in the state’s 2026 gubernatorial primary, announced on Wednesday that he will switch parties to run against the Maryland governor as a Republican. 

A longtime Democrat known as the former chairman and CEO of 1st Mariner Bank, Hale was initially set to mount a primary challenge against Moore, a fairly popular governor viewed as one of the Left’s rising stars, as a member of his native Democratic Party.