Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has made no secret of the fact he's not a MAGA-hat wearing Republican. Since President Trump was sworn in, Hogan has openly opposed some of his more controversial policies. He was one of only a few Republican governors, for instance, to call back National Guard troops from the U.S.-Mexico border in protest of the administration's immigration policies.
He had gone so far as to reveal he's considering a primary challenge against Trump. This week, at an event at St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH, he said that consideration has become quite "serious."
Gov. Larry Hogan: "People have asked me to give this serious consideration, and I think I owe it to those people to do just that, and that's what I'm doing, I'm listening, coming to New Hampshire, and listening to people is a part of that process." https://t.co/S9IjrSmv0Q pic.twitter.com/3tjvWRDTh0
— The Hill (@thehill) April 24, 2019
Hogan says he's traveled to 10 states trying to gauge voters' interest in his potential run. But, unless he thinks there's "a path to victory," he's going to stay put in Maryland. He's not about to engage in a "suicide mission."
That didn't stop Hogan from expressing his disappointment in Republican leadership for voting to support Trump in 2020 no matter what at an RNC meeting in February. He called it "undemocratic" at the time and added on Tuesday that he no longer recognizes his own party.
“I was pretty critical of that," he said. "You know, and not that the Republican National Committee doesn’t have the right to support the sitting president, but to change the rules and to insist 100 percent loyalty to the Dear Leader, it just didn’t sound very much like the Republican Party that I grew up in, working for Ronald Reagan and supporting George Bush.”
Another Republican, former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, already threw his hat in the ring against President Trump. But his announcement was overshadowed, considering it was on the same day the massive fire broke out at Notre Dame cathedral. It was, quite possibly, the worst timed campaign announcement in history.