Larry Hogan rules out Maryland Senate bid, dishing blow to GOP

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) ruled out a 2024 Senate bid Tuesday, depriving Republicans of a candidate with a proven record of winning statewide elections in the Old Line State.

Hogan was at the top of the GOP’s list of preferred candidates after Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) announced on Monday that he would not be seeking reelection next year. But Hogan says it’s not happening.

“I’m getting a lot of calls about that,” Hogan told NewsNation’s Leland Vittert on “The Hill.”

"It's just not something I've ever aspired to do," former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said on @NewsNation when asked about the possibility of a Senate run in 2024. https://t.co/cYLSPet0ne @TheHillNN pic.twitter.com/29OWUzciX3

— The Hill (@thehill) May 3, 2023

“I’m getting called by senators, and donors, and I’m getting lots of inquiries from the media, but the thing that surprised me the most was that my wife said, ‘Why don’t you run for the Senate?'” 

“I told her she was crazy,” he said. “I mean, I didn’t have any interest in being a senator.” 

“The Senate is an entirely different job,” Hogan said. “You’re one of 100 people arguing all day. Not a lot gets done in the Senate, and most former governors that I know that go into the Senate aren’t thrilled with the job. 

Hogan went on to say that theoretically he could win the race, but that it would be tough. 

“In a presidential year, it makes it even more difficult,” he said. “But it’s not something I’m pursuing.” 

Cardin’s announcement that he will not seek reelection opens up Maryland’s Senate seat for next year’s election. Over the last 40 years, only five people have represented Maryland in the Senate, with Democrats John Sarbanes and Barbara Mikulski having served for 30 years each. 

It’s a difficult race for the GOP in a presidential election year, when Maryland is a reliably blue state.

But Hogan, a centrist governor who frequently criticized former President Trump, would have been a formidable candidate.

Democratic sources indicated to The Hill on Monday on that three possible candidates in their party lead the pack of contenders to replace Cardin: Reps. David Trone (D-Md.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D).