The No. 2 Democrat in the House said Wednesday that Mitt Romney will have an advantage over his more conservative Republican challengers in Maryland’s primary contest.
“[Romney] will have an advantage in Maryland, certainly, like he did in Illinois,” said House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., on a conference call with reporters ahead of Romney’s visit to Maryland on Wednesday.
Maryland’s high percentage of suburban voters will benefit the former Massachusetts governor, because “the suburban voter tends to be more moderate,” the 15-term congressman said.
Hoyer somewhat contradicted his remarks earlier in the call, however, saying that Romney has “turned his back on moderates” and will not appeal to them in the general election.
“He is appealing to the narrow Tea Party base of the Republican Party,” Hoyer said, criticizing Romney for pandering to “radical ideologues.”
Maryland Democratic Party Chairwoman Yvette Lewis also chimed in, calling Romney an extremist who would “leave women on their own.”
“Romney has become the most extreme — the most extreme candidate that we have see in a long, long, time,” Lewis said. “He has taken positions from women’s health care to our country’s well being that are dangerous and out of step with [most] Americans.”
The Maryland Democratic Party held the conference call with Hoyer ahead of Romney’s first campaign visit to the state, which typically votes Democratic and offers 37 delegates in its April 3 Republican primary.
