Former Maryland Gov Larry Hogan announces Republican run for Senate

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Friday announced he is launching a campaign for the U.S. Senate.

"I am running for the United States Senate -- not to serve one party -- but to stand up to both parties, fight for Maryland, and fix our nation's broken politics," the Republican said in a post on X. "It’s what I did as Maryland’s governor, and it’s exactly how I'll serve Maryland in the Senate. Let’s get back to work."

Hogan, a vocal GOP critic of former President Donald Trump who won election and re-election as governor in heavily blue Maryland, will be running for the seat opened up by the retiring three-term Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat, who before his election to the Senate in 2006 was a longtime congressman and state lawmaker. The state hasn't elected a Republican senator in decades and more than a dozen Democrats - including Rep. David Trone and Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks -are running to succeed Cardin.

"Fifty years ago, my father, Maryland Congressman Larry Hogan Sr. made a very tough decision. He became the first Republican to come out for the impeachment of President Nixon. He put aside party politics and his own personal considerations and he stepped up to do the right thing for Maryland and the nation," Hogan said in a video released Friday. "Today, Washington is completely broken because that kind of leadership, that kind of willingness to put country over party has become far too rare." 

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"My fellow Marylanders, you know me. For eight years, we proved that the toxic politics that divide our nation need not divide our state," Hogan continued. "We overcame unprecedented challenges, cut taxes eight years in a row, balanced the budget and created a record surplus. And we did it all by finding common ground for the common good." 

"The politicians in Washington seem to be more interested in arguing than actually getting anything done for the people they represent. Enough is enough," Hogan added. "We can do so much better, but not if we keep electing the same kind of typical partisan politicians." 

Hogan said he would "work with anyone who wants to do the people's business" and that "we desperately need leaders willing to stand up to both parties."

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The campaign announcement comes after Hogan recently endorsed Nikki Haley for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and stepped down from the leadership of the third party movement No Labels.

Hogan, a successful business leader before entering politics, seriously mulled a run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and made numerous trips in 2022 to New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary in the GOP nominating calendar.

But in March of last year, Hogan announced he wouldn't seek his party's nomination. At the time didn't rule out a potential third-party run with No Labels.

During his last year as governor, Republican leaders in the nation's capital and in Maryland heavily courted Hogan to run for the Senate in the 2022 midterm elections.

But Hogan declined, saying in a news conference in February of that year that "as I have repeatedly said, I don't aspire to be a United States senator."

Fast-forward two years and Hogan is now running for the Senate.

Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said in a statement that "Governor Hogan is a great leader for Maryland, and that's why he remains overwhelmingly popular in the state. We look forward to welcoming him to the United States Senate." 

The top super PAC supporting Senate Democrats quickly took aim at Hogan.

"It’s pretty simple – Larry Hogan’s Senate bid is nothing but a vanity project and a desperate attempt to cling to political relevancy," Senate Majority PAC president JB Poersch argued in a statement.