Bethesda voters will see Rob Krop, a Frederick County real estate broker and small-business owner, on the Nov. 3 ballot as the Republican nominee for Maryland lieutenant governor. He is running alongside gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox.
Krop has never held elected office. He won the Republican primary on June 23 with 43.3% of the vote in a nine-candidate field. He said he is running because he believes Maryland "can do better for working families, small businesses, and the next generation."s
Candidate information
- Party: Republican
- Race: Maryland lieutenant governor, Nov. 3 general election
- Residence: Frederick County
- Family: Married to Steph for 19 years; four children
- Education: Bachelor's degree in biblical studies, Liberty University, 2007
- Church: First Baptist Church of Green Valley
Experience and public service
Krop has spent nearly two decades in real estate and business. He leads the Krop Team, a real estate group serving buyers and sellers across Maryland. He also owns Key City Property Management, which manages residential properties in Frederick County and the surrounding area.
In 2015, Krop co-founded The Machine Gun Nest, an indoor shooting range in Frederick. He previously served as broker and owner at Remax Plus from 2010 to 2019 and is a real estate agent at Keller Williams Realty Centre.
Krop said he has no family background in politics or government. In his questionnaire responses, he described his time outside government as a strength, saying his career gave him experience managing employees, budgets, regulations and customer relationships.
He also disclosed that he spent more than two years defending himself and his businesses through a federal prosecution that ended in his acquittal by a jury. Krop called that experience a test of his leadership and perseverance.
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Krop's candidate questionnaire responses and his published campaign statements.
Housing affordability and property taxes: Krop supports ensuring that property taxes cannot be assessed higher than the price paid for a home. He argued that homeowners should not be taxed on unrealized gains and said he has watched families struggle because of rising tax assessments during his career in real estate.
Cost of living and fiscal policy: Maryland is losing residents because of high taxes, rising energy costs, constant fees and a government that spends without accountability, according to Krop. He supports cutting unnecessary taxes and fees, restoring fiscal discipline, prioritizing infrastructure and pursuing low-cost energy solutions.
Second Amendment and gun laws: Restoring constitutional rights is his top priority, Krop said. He supports eliminating the Maryland handgun roster, repealing the Handgun Qualification License, ending the magazine capacity ban and repealing the assault weapons ban.
Role of lieutenant governor: Krop said he would focus on housing affordability, small-business growth, government accountability and reducing regulatory barriers. He said success should be measured by whether Marylanders are keeping more of what they earn and whether businesses are expanding in the state rather than leaving.
.png)
