Hogan, a real-estate businessman and former official in Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.’s administration, has crafted a campaign message that focuses on pocketbook issues.

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.

Shortly after Ehrlich’s loss to O’Malley, Hogan formed the conservative advocacy group Change Maryland, which kept up a consistent stream of criticism of the Democratic administration. While Hogan has called for tax cuts, slower spending growth and an end to the storm water fee, he has offered few specifics.

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.

Hogan opted to use the state’s public financing system for the general election, a decision that grants him $2. 6 million in state funds but also limits how much he can spend. It may put him at a disadvantage against the Democrats’s fundraising prowess.

Boyd Rutherford, 58, secretary of general services under Ehrlich, is Hogan’s running mate.