Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Sunday that Republicans are “focused on the wrong things” and that they are too concerned with “looking at the past.”
Hogan made the remarks on CNN’s “State of the Union” host Jake Tapper. In the interview, Hogan discussed his decision not to run for the U.S. Senate, as Townhall covered, saying that he “likes to get things done” and that Washington, D.C. has a lot of “divisiveness and dysfunction and not a lot gets done.”
Tapper noted that several Republican lawmakers, such as Sen. Susan Collins (ME) and (UT) Sen. Mitt Romney, pushed Hogan to run for Senate though he ultimately decided not to.
“I was very flattered that they were expressing interest and encouraging me to run and certainly made the argument that I could be a voice of reason and sanity in Washington,” Hogan said. “I just have never had a desire to be a U.S. Senator, my heart wasn’t in it.”
Tapper then pressed Hogan on his decision not to run, inquiring if the position of ex-governor is more impactful than a Senator to “get things done.” Hogan stated that it’s important for Republicans to stand up to President Biden over issues like inflation, but he is concerned that they focus too much on the last election instead of moving the country forward.
“I think they’re [Republicans] sometimes focused on the wrong things, not just being a roadblock to Biden. There’s certain things we want to stand up to with President Biden. The inflation is out of control and we’re talking about trillions in more spending. We want to make sure we do stand up and speak out. But I’m concerned that they’re focusing too much on looking at the past and trying to relitigate the last election and arguing about things instead of having a positive, hopeful vision for America,” Hogan added.
Hogan, who assumed office in 2015, has one year left in office as Governor of Maryland. In his interview with Tapper, he reiterated that he will have time to think about his next chapter when he leaves office in 2023.
“I still have another year to be governor of Maryland. I want to focus on finishing that job strong,” he told Tapper. “We’ll take a look at what happens after that in 2023.”