Hogan slams GOP presidential hopefuls over Trump support

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) doubled down Tuesday on his criticism of GOP presidential candidates’ support of former President Trump as their party’s 2024 nominee even if he were convicted of the various charges against him, calling it a “mistake.” 

“It was the fact that they said, even if he was convicted of a felony, that they would still support him for president,” Hogan said during an interview on “The Hill” on NewsNation. “He’s innocent until proven guilty. There’s no question there’s been some overzealous prosecution; I understand all the concerns. But if he’s found guilty of felonies, in most states, you can’t even vote or serve on a jury.” 

At last week’s GOP primary debate, moderator Bret Baier asked the candidates to raise their hands if they would stand by their pledge to support Trump if he secures the party’s nomination and is later convicted. All but former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie raised their hand.

“I just thought that was a mistake,” Hogan said. “And … as a lifelong Republican, a guy that came up through Reagan, I just didn’t understand how somebody could make that commitment without even hearing the trial or the evidence or knowing what he was convicted of.” 

Hogan’s comments echoed those made last week when he told CNN’s Dana Bash he was “embarrassed and disgusted” to see most of the candidates raise their hands. 

Hogan, who serves as the national co-chairman of No Labels — a political group that has been pushing for a third-party ticket — has signaled that the group may launch a third-party bid if the 2024 election is a rematch between President Biden and Trump. 

“Maybe we have to, depending on where we are next spring, provide a third option because a vast majority of people in America — nearly two-thirds — do not want Joe Biden or Donald Trump to be president,” Hogan said, noting that a possible third-party bid has not been decided on. 

Hogan said that if No Labels were to consider putting up a nominee, it would likely not be until April, after the results of Super Tuesday are in. 

“At this point in time, I’m really still focused on, I’m hopeful that we can find someone other than Donald Trump to rise up in the Republican Party, because I’m tired of losing,” Hogan said. 

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.