Election day is days away and former Governor Larry Hogan plans to fight for a Senate seat until the end.
Hogan, who is running on a Republican ticket, has often described himself as a maverick and said he is willing to disagree with both Democrats and Republicans alike should he be elected Nov. 5.
In a March 2024 interview with MSNBC Luke Russert, Hogan said Trump’s tanking of a bipartisan border measure “made me frustrated and angry enough” to run for Senate and that he hopes to restore bipartisan cooperation.
While Hogan runs as a Republican, he has said he doesn’t support Donald Trump’s bid for presidency several times.
Joseph Dietrich, assistant professor of political science at Towson University, said, “Attracting Larry Hogan to run for Senate was a major break for the GOP here in Maryland … especially for those who are not strong supporters of Mr. Trump. He’s got great name recognition and he’s notability anti-Trump. He runs a very good and very disciplined campaign, but it was always going to be an uphill battle.”
Dietrich said that Alsobrooks has a clear advantage although recent polling shows the race has tightened in recent weeks.
Hogan’s race to the Senate has not been as successful as his bid to be Maryland’s governor as support for Democratic candidate Angela Alsobrooks has increased in the polls.
“She got all the Democrats a bona fides high-profile job. She’s smart, well educated and polls well — personally [and] particularly with the African American population, which is a major constituency here in Maryland,” said Dietrich. “Alsobrooks has been running a good campaign. The only issue is she’s not a recognizable candidate.”
Today’s Republican party has ties to Trump and many of the policies put in place during Trump’s presidency. Hogan supported small businesses as governor as he signed a $250 million state cash relief stimulus package for businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the Alsobrooks-Hogan debate at Maryland Public Television, Alsobrooks alleged Hogan did not support a bill that affected women’s reproductive rights.
The bill Alsobrooks mentioned was Maryland House Bill 937 and would have expanded the types of medical professionals who can perform abortions in the state — for health training purposes. Its intent was to establish the Abortion Clinical Care Training Program in the Maryland Department of Health.
In his veto letter, Hogan wrote that “I have upheld my commitment to take no action that would affect Maryland law where it concerns reproductive rights … House Bill 937 endangers the health and lives of women by allowing non-physicians to perform abortions.”
During his debate with Alsobrooks, Hogan said, “On day one, I would codify Roe so that in every state no one can come between a woman and her doctor to make that decision.”
In an Oct. 18 Time article, the magazine reported Hogan approved $40 million in competitive awards to spur the construction of 18 low-income housing projects — one of which was developed on his family’s property.
Hogan replied to those claims and said, “The Time Magazine thing was completely false, completely fabricated, and the same stuff was dredged three or four years ago and widely discredited.”
Spokesman staff reached out to Hogan and requested an interview but did not receive a response.
The final day to vote is Nov. 5. For more information, visit www.vote.org.
