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The year leading up to the presidential election usually sees a huge parade of candidates in the party not in power. However, 2023 already presented its first anomaly to this rule: Larry Hogan. The former governor of Maryland was seen as one of Donald Trump’s potential rivals but finally decided that he will not run in 2024.
Hogan revealed his decision on Face the Nation (CBS), where he clarified that it was an entirely “personal” decision and that he has “no desire” to subject his family to “another grueling campaign just for the experience.”
“I did give it serious consideration, and I talked to people everywhere, and I talked to my family and it was a tough decision, but I’ve decided that I will not be a candidate for the Republican nomination for president. It was like, I didn’t need that job. I didn’t need to run for another office. It was really I was considering it because I thought it was public service and maybe I can make a difference,” the former governor said.
As for the challenge of challenging Donald Trump, Hogan assured that “that didn’t really scare me.” “It would be a tough race. And he’s very tough. But, you know, I beat life-threatening cancer. So having Trump call me names on Twitter didn’t really scare me off,” he added on the matter.
He further called on the GOP to move away from the former president. “To once again be a successful governing party, we must move on from Donald Trump. There are several competent Republican leaders who have the potential to step up and lead,” Hogan said. “But the stakes are too high for me to risk being part of another multicar pileup that could potentially help Mr. Trump recapture the nomination,” he said.
Hogan also discussed the state of the Republican primary, specifically through the Trump-DeSantis pairing. “Right now, you have — you know, Trump and [Ron] DeSantis at the top of the field, they’re soaking up all the oxygen, getting all the attention, and then a whole lot of the rest of us in single digits and the more of them you have, the less chance you have for somebody rising up,” he continued.
With the former governor’s departure, the Republican nomination is in a three-way race between Donald Trump, Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. Among the potential candidates, Hogan had words of praise for Mike Pence. When asked if he would eventually support the former vice president, he did not hesitate in answering “absolutely.” “I have tremendous respect for Mike Pence, and I thought he’s the kind of guy, he’s full of integrity and experience,” he added.
Larry Hogan and his Maryland performance
Hogan capitalized on the 2014 red wave to win the governorship of Maryland. He won with 51% of the vote, against 47% for the Democratic candidate. Four years later, he was not intimidated by the blue wave and considerably expanded his margin of victory, 55 % to 43 %.
One of the few Republicans to govern “The Old Line State” has been described as a “moderate Republican” and a “centrist.” His administration led him to become one of the most popular governors in the country. According to Morning Consult, by 2022 he was the third most popular governor in the United States, behind only Charlie Baker (R-MS) and Phil Scott (R-VT). Interestingly, the top three were Republicans at the helm of fairly blue states, such as Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maryland.
“We eliminated or rewrote thousands of job-killing regulations. We cut taxes eight years in a row by $4.7 billion, putting all of that money back into the pockets of hardworking Maryland families, small businesses, and retirees, and we turned a $5.1 billion deficit into the largest surplus in state history,” the outgoing governor said. “We ushered in the biggest economic turnaround in America, and we are leaving the state in a far better fiscal position than ever before in history,” he said in his farewell address.
Joaquín Núñez es licenciado en comunicación periodística por la Universidad Católica Argentina. Se especializa en el escenario internacional y en la política nacional norteamericana. Confeso hincha de Racing Club de Avellaneda. Contacto: [email protected] // Joaquín Núñez has a degree in journalistic communication from the Universidad Católica Argentina. He specializes in the international scene and national American politics. Confessed fan of Racing Club of Avellaneda. Contact: [email protected]