Michael Steele considering run for governor of Maryland

Veteran political operative Michael Steele says he is considering a run for governor of Maryland. 

Steele, who previously served as the state’s lieutenant governor and as head of the Republican National Committee, confirmed his consideration to The Hill on Monday.   

During a radio interview on Friday, Steele said he would take “a very strong, long look at it and see where the chips fall.” 

“I know I’m not everyone’s favorite cup of tea within my party,” Steele said. “I never have been. I don’t let those things bother me.” 

Steele last year joined the anti-Trump political organization The Lincoln Project and he often appears on cable news to decry Trump and his policies. 

“Today is the day where things should matter and you need to take stock of what matters to you — and the kind of leader you want to lead in these moments. And for me, it ain’t him,” Steele said on MSNBC last summer. “I get my role as a former national chairman. I get it, but I’m an American. I get my role as a former party leader. I’m still an American. And these things matter to me more than aligning myself with a party that has clearly decided it would rather be sycophantic than principled.”

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, is term limited and expected to make a run for the party’s presidential nomination in 2024.  

Last week, former head of the Democratic National Committee Tom Perez said he too was considering a bid for the governor’s mansion in Annapolis.

“I live here in Maryland and I’ve served in state government under Martin O’Malley, I was a local elected official where I lived in Montgomery County, Maryland. I loved the great state of Maryland,” Perez said. “Looking at things, perhaps, we have an open governor’s seat next year and our current incumbent is term-limited. So, [I’m] taking a look at that and we’ll see what happens.”

Jonathan Easley contributed.