Larry Hogan defends 'lifelong' conservative credentials: 'Little frustrating' when critics call me a Democrat

Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan pushed back at the "Democrat" label he has received from his conservative critics, touting his record and widespread support in such a blue state on Thursday.

In the latest installment of the "Ruthless" podcast, Hogan was asked how "frustrating" it is to be branded as either a Democrat or a moderate while governing in a state with a "70% Democratic legislature." 

"Well ,look, it's the toughest state in the country. It is the bluest state in the country if you go by presidential election results - and we've been really successful," Hogan said. "And I've been, arguably, in the top three most popular governors in the country for eight straight years among Republicans, Democrats and independents, and that's hard to do." 

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"It is a little frustrating because I'm a lifelong, common-sense conservative," Hogan continued. "I was a chairman of Youth for Reagan. I'm a solid, you know, conservative, but we're winning battles on really important things. Just because we're not maybe out there making as much noise on Twitter about certain things-" 

"Is it tone?" co-host Josh Holmes asked. 

"I think a lot of it is tone," Hogan responded. "I mean, we're working hard, standing up for the things we believe in, but I also, by necessity and by just, you know, the way I actually believe, I think you have to work across the aisle to get things done."

The Maryland governor boasted how "the most popular elected officials in the country are Republicans in blue states," listing GOP governors like Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Chris Sununu of New Hampshire and Phil Scott of Vermont.

"We can't get anything done without convincing some Democrats. And it turns out, you know, working across the aisle is really popular with voters. It's popular among Republicans, and Independents, and Democrats," Hogan said. "So, the people that would say, you know, 'Well, you're a Democrat, you're a RINO,' whatever. I mean, I don't really care because I'm doing much better than all of them are," Hogan added. 

"There is some value in tweeting crazy things, I've got to say," co-host Comfortably Smug quipped.

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Hogan, a vocal critic of former President Trump, told the "Ruthless" co-hosts that he had "the exact same support among Republicans and conservatives" as Trump except the Maryland governor was "successful" at earning the vote of "suburban women, moderates and independents and swing Democrats," something he says GOP candidates "haven't done as well," blaming the shortcomings on various election losses, saying they "did the opposite of what I did."

"They played to the base, but they didn't attract any converts. And, you know, successful politics is about addition and multiplication," Hogan said. "I had to fire up the base and win all the independents and win a chunk of Democrats or I wouldn't be governor…  I didn't have to go argue about whatever red meat social issue of the day."

He continued, "I was talking about things that people cared about - bread and butter, you know, how they're going to pay their bills, how they're going to feed their family. That's, I think, what the Republican Party should be focused on, the things where we can gain… you gotta get to 50% plus one and you can't keep losing - we've lost the popular vote seven out of the last eight presidential elections. That's no way for a successful, long-term future for the party."

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Hogan's name has been repeatedly floated as a potential presidential candidate in 2024. White House buzz was further fueled when the governor announced he was skipping a bid for senator, rejecting strong recruiting efforts by Republicans to potentially flip the Democrat-controlled seat in the upcoming midterms. 

When asked by Holmes if he was going to run for president, Hogan didn't deny he's mulling a 2024 bid. 

"The truth is that, you know, I really - I've got till next January to be governor, I think things are gonna change a lot between now and next year. We got two and a half years till the next election," Hogan said. "A lot of people have certainly been encouraging me to think about that. And I've said - I promised people in Maryland, I'm gonna do this job and I think there's plenty of time to think about it after that, but we're, you know, I haven't closed the door on the possibility." 

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"I want to be a part of the discussion about where the party goes, I care about the country and, you know, whether that means I'm gonna be a candidate for president or I'm going to be a voice in some other way, you know, we'll find out maybe after next - end of the year," he added.