HANNOVER, Md. — Outgoing Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan teased his ambitions for 2024 at a celebratory gala Wednesday night at a Maryland casino, but said he would not announce his plans until after he leaves office in January.
Hogan and his wife, Yumi Hogan, Maryland’s First Lady, later took the stage to a band playing an instrumental cover of Sam and Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Coming.” as party cannons showered his supporters with confetti. And Hogan delighted fans with a video in which he touted his underdog victories as governor in staunchly Democratic Maryland and lessons learned from his father, the late Congressman Lawrence Hogan Sr., who broke with his party to seek the impeachment of Richard Nixon support.
“I understand there has been some speculation about the future, although I will not be making any announcements tonight,” Hogan said, addressing a crowd of hundreds of supporters attending the Maryland LIVE! Casino south of Baltimore. “But I think you all know that this country is very close to my heart. I’ve never been so concerned about the direction of our nation. What I can tell you tonight is that I will not give up the Republican Party or America.”
The Maryland Republican is toying with a run for the White House as a host of Republican hopefuls have been encouraged to consider running for 2024, from former UN ambassador Nikki Haley to Arkansas governor Asa Hutchison after stinging defeats by candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump. and declining support for Trump, who is running for the White House for the third time.
Hogan has long enjoyed the support of establishment and moderate Republicans as one of the few successful Republicans willing to speak out against Trump at the height of his power.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hogan (and other governors, such as former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo) have routinely thrown the spotlight on the former president when Trump floated misconceptions about the outbreak in the White House press room.
Earlier Wednesday, Hogan hosted “fireside chats” with Republican stars, including former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Trump’s former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson. He also met with high-paying donors who he said pushed him to stay in the running.
“We had leaders from all over the country who flew in and there are a lot of people asking us to consider moving on in politics,” Hogan told reporters later Wednesday night.
But Hogan’s success in Maryland doesn’t seem to translate to the national stage, at least among Republicans. Polls in the still-developing 2024 Republican field have found Hogan consistently winning the support of 1% or fewer voters, well behind Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Republican nominee Hogan, who succeeded him as governor Kelly Schulz, lost the gubernatorial primary to Trump-backed Dan Cox in July by 16 percentage points.
Four months later, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore beat Cox by a whopping 23 percentage points, skyrocketing the star of the first politician on the national stage and adding to Republican concerns that Trump and his picks are weighing the party’s chances Run.
