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Hogan Explains Why He's Running for Senate, Even Though He Doesn't Have a 'Burning Desire' for the Job

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  April 08, 2024 9:15 AM

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan explained Sunday why he is running for Senate, even though he does not have a “burning desire” for the job.

Speaking to CNN’s Melanie Zanona, the Republican said it wasn't that he needed a job, but he felt compelled to run out of frustration with the system. 

“I still don’t have any burning desire to be a senator. I wasn’t looking for a title. I don’t need a job. But I’m just so frustrated with how broken our political system is,” Hogan said in the interview. “George Bush was a pretty good salesperson trying to convince me that the party and the country needed me, and I would have had an important voice that I can make a difference.”

Former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan passed on a bid for a Maryland Senate seat last cycle, insisting he had no ambitions to serve in higher office. And even up until early this year, Hogan was still signaling he wasn’t interested.

But after years of entreaties from Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell and other top Republicans – and even a direct sales pitch from former President George W. Bush – Hogan finally relented in February, jumping into the Senate race at the very last minute and widening the GOP’s path to the majority this fall. […]

The surprise entrance of Hogan, a popular former governor and prized recruit for Republican leaders, has shaken up race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin this November, when control for the Senate is up for grabs. The longtime safe blue seat, in a state President Joe Biden carried by over 30 points in 2020, is now suddenly competitive, complicating the calculus for Democrats as they look to defend around half a dozen more vulnerable seats in order to retain their slim Senate majority. (CNN)

A recent survey of the race shows Hogan enjoys the highest favorability rating among the candidates in the race. 


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