The 2024 Republican presidential primary is crowded enough as it is, especially when many of the candidates likely don't have any chance whatsoever. It's worth wondering why they're even bothering at all. Former Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD) got the hint, as he announced in March that he would not run in the Republican primary, though he had hinted previously that he might.
Logan was not only elected in 2014 as governor of a particularly blue state but he was also reelected. He left office in January 2023, and the state is again under a Democrat, Gov. Wes Moore. As Karen Townsend at our sister site HotAir reminded, Hogan wouldn't endorse Moore's Republican opponent, Dan Cox:
...He’s 67-years-old and when he left office, he handed the governor’s office to the Democrat running in that race. He refused to endorse the Republican candidate in that race. He called him a “QAnon whack job.” Instead of name-calling, he could have just remained neutral, but that’s not his style. He endorsed a former state lawmaker in the primary race, as was his prerogative. He hemmed and hawed before saying he wouldn’t endorse anyone in general election...
Hogan isn't beloved by the media just because he was a Republican governor of a blue state. He's also anti-Trump, which has led to his many Sunday show appearances where he's been invited to criticize the former and potentially future president. It might have worked to get him reelected in Maryland, but not as president.
Hogan was, once again, on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, during which he participated in a panel discussion. Host Dana Bash asked him about the potential to be a "Choice C" candidate, referencing the No Labels group.
When asked, Hogan said a third-party presidential run as part of the No Labels ticket is "not something that I'm considering or pursuing at all." However, he still said, "I totally understand the frustrations that lead to this kind of discussion at this point in our country," pointing to polling indicating that 70 percent of Americans do not want Trump or President Joe Biden to be president.
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"And if they're going to be the nominees, which it appears that they are, you have choice A that no one wants and choice B that no one wants," he said before trailing off, to which Bash prompted him by asking, "So, you don't want to be Choice C?" Hogan, however, replied, "I may have to be Choice C," giving a response that conflicted with what he had just said.
Faiz Shakir, the campaign manager for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, chimed in to advise Hogan not to run under No Labels, offering, "They're just interested in supporting people who want to keep a corrupt political system." Such conversation led to a back-and-forth between Hogan and Shakir, with the former pointing out, "Well, they seem to be worrying a lot of Democrats, because they're taken seriously."
Regarding the worries and concerns, the No Labels group was the subject of a Tuesday editorial from the Wall Street Journal, "Who's Afraid of a Third Party?"
Concerns abound about how a No Labels ticket could end up electing Trump. CNN's Karen Finney mentioned as much, stating, "No Labels is going to have the effect of electing Donald Trump." There has been countless speculation in plenty of other articles highlighting chatter about Democrats – and that's because Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is affiliated with the group and an honorary co-chair. Manchin was present for its launch in 2010. The moderate Democrat is up for reelection in 2024, though it's unclear what his plans are. He has consistently played coy regarding whether or not he'll even run for reelection, let alone run for president. Unlike Hogan, though, he hasn't indicated he's not actually running and then suggested there's even a chance he'll change his mind. Whatever Manchin does, we're not likely to find out until "the end of the year," according to Manchin himself.
The CNN panel discussion closed in part with CNN's Alice Stewart mentioning, "The good thing is, Republicans have a lot of really, really good options to choose from." She added, "I encourage people to listen to what they have to say and make an educated vote."
Former Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, something of a RINO in his own right and who is running, had also been on the program, during which he took the opportunity presented by Bash to criticize his Republican colleagues for focusing on culture war issues.
In January, before Hogan announced he was not running in the Republican primary, I included him in a list of RINO candidates considering a run. As I highlighted at the time, Hogan's popularity as governor wouldn't really make much of a difference, though:
Running for president means appealing to the rest of the country though, and winning in a Republican primary when the party still views Trump as quite the influential force, someone Hogan has made it his business to publicly go up against.
Hogan made headlines multiple times last year about a potential run, and the speculation continues, especially with his successor, Gov.-Elect Wes Moore (D-MD) to be inaugurated soon, on January 18.
Even if he were to somehow get the nomination, it's also worth wondering if Hogan could win Maryland, given that the state has voted for the Democratic nominee consistently every year since 1992.
Hogan isn't always included in the polls for the 2024 Republican primary. One such poll which does include Hogan, a Cygnal poll from last December with 1,019 likely Republican presidential primary voters, shows him with 1 percent support.
Another one of those RINOs, former Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, is running. He currently has 0.8 percent support, which could keep him from making it to the debate stage.
During the panel discussion earlier this week on CNN, Hogan appeared to get at least one thing right. If the Republican and Democratic primaries were held tomorrow, Trump and Biden would almost certainly be the nominees, as polls indicate.
Like it or not, Trump is the face of the Republican Party. We're also a nation with two major political parties. There is no "Choice C," at least not for 2024.
