Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced on Feb. 9 he is running for the U.S. Senate this year, giving the GOP an unexpected boost ahead of November.
Mr. Hogan, a Republican, announced his bid on what is the filing deadline to run in the Old Line State for the Senate.
In a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, Mr. Hogan, who was governor between 2015 and 2023, said that he is running for the sake of the country, not a political party.
“And that is why I have made the decision to run for the United States Senate,” he continued. “Not to serve one party, but to try to be part of the solution to fix our nation’s broken politics and fight for Maryland.”
Moreover, Mr. Hogan lamented the status quo in Washington.
“Like the exhausted majority of Marylanders, I’m completely fed up with politics as usual,” he said.
“The politicians in Washington seem to be more interested in arguing than actually getting anything done,” he continued. “For the people they represent now.
“Enough, is enough. We can do so much better. But not if we keep electing the same kind of typical partisan politicians.”
“This is a fight for Maryland and America’s future. And that is a fight worth fighting,” he added.
Furthermore, said Mr. Hogan, the fighting is not only between Republicans and Democrats, it is also “about the difference between right and wrong.”
Additionally, Mr. Hogan cited his record as governor.
“We overcame unprecedented challenges, cut taxes eight years in a row, balanced the budget and created a record surplus,” he said. “And we did it all by finding common ground for the common good.”
Mr. Hogan had not been expected to run for the Senate seat currently held by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who announced his retirement last year after a career of more than 17 years in Congress.
Mr. Hogan passed on a run for Senate in 2022 against Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who went on to easily win reelection.
“I’m getting a lot of calls about that,” he told NewsNation at the time.
“I’m getting called by senators, and donors, and I’m getting lots of inquiries from the media, but the thing that surprised me the most was that my wife said, ‘Why don’t you run for the Senate?’” he continued.
“I told her she was crazy,” he said. “I mean, I didn’t have any interest in being a senator.”
Mr. Hogan also said that “the Senate is an entirely different job.”
“You’re one of 100 people arguing all day,” he continued. “Not a lot gets done in the Senate, and most former governors that I know that go into the Senate aren’t thrilled with the job.”
Despite having been a popular governor and giving the GOP an increased chance in taking back the Senate alongside a favorable map in November, Mr. Hogan is running in what is a solid blue state.
Candidates for the Democrat nod include, but are not limited to, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Rep. David Trone (D-Md.).
Nonetheless, Mr. Hogan is a critic of former President Donald Trump, going as far as to say he did not vote for him in 2016 or 2020, and he has not committed to voting for him in 2024.
“For too long, Republican voters have been denied a real debate about what our party stands for beyond loyalty to Mr Trump. A cult of personality is no substitute for a party of principle,” he said last year.
Last year, Mr. Hogan announced he would not run for the presidency. Instead, he has endorsed former South Carolina Gov. and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley.
During his time as governor, Mr. Hogan beat cancer.
Before entering politics, Mr. Hogan was a businessman.
From The Epoch Times
