 |
| Larry Hogan, with wife Yumi, files for U.S. Senate race at the Maryland Board of Elections office in Annapolis Friday |
Former Maryland Larry Hogan (R) has finally come to his senses, and is running for the one office he might have a chance to win in 2024, the Maryland U.S. Senate seat of the retiring Ben Cardin (D). The question that will be answered in November: Did Hogan's decision come too late? Hogan announced his entry into the race Friday afternoon. Since leaving office in January 2023, the former governor has been exploring a potential run for U.S. President - - initially as a Republican, then as part of a bipartisan ticket under the No Labels platform.
Hogan is the strongest candidate for the U.S. Senate the Maryland GOP has been able to muster in decades. He might have even been the favorite in the race, had he segued directly from being a popular governor with bipartisan support to the Senate campaign. But Hogan's presidential ambitions have enraged both the Donald Trump-loving base of the GOP, and Democrats and independent voters who fear a No Labels ticket will end up sending Trump back to the White House in 2025.
Once praised by Democrats for his willingness to trash Trump on the national stage, Hogan has received more jeers than cheers on social media for his No Labels adventure and U.S. Senate announcement. And Trump supporters, who still remember Hogan verbally pummeling Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox throughout the 2022 election season, were already lashing "Lockdown Larry" online within minutes of his announcement Friday.
The initial raw feelings will likely give way to a suddenly serious race for the U.S. Senate in Maryland. One big winner after Hogan's announcement: local broadcasters, who are going to enjoy an infusion of cash from the Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee and GOP dark money groups. MAGA Republicans may not be enthused to vote for Hogan, but the multinational corporations behind various superPACs suddenly see a Senate seat that could be flipped from blue to red by an establishment Reagan Republican.
The biggest losers from Hogan's entry? Democratic candidate Angela Alsobrooks, as national and Maryland Democratic strategists grapple with the fact that only David Trone will be able to dominate the money race in a contest with Hogan. And Republican Robin Ficker, who was the frontrunner in the GOP primary race until yesterday afternoon. Ficker had the most money, and greatest name recognition, among the GOP candidates prior to Hogan's announcement.
Trone vs. Hogan would likely be a premier matchup this fall, with money and national surrogates pouring into the state. The advantage has to go to Trone at the moment. He not only has unlimited funds from his own pocket, but his friends include Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Trone has even hosted fundraisers with Obama and Bill Clinton -- in person -- at his home.
Another big problem for Hogan: abortion. The word you will hear the most from summer to fall in 2024: Abortion, abortion, abortion. It will be coming from your television speakers during every commercial break. The abortion issue could provide Democrats with a clean sweep of the White House, U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate in November. It's been a winning issue for Democrats in blue and red states alike, since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. It's an issue Hogan will have to skillfully navigate, as in that context, few Democrats will want to help tip the Senate back to the GOP by voting for Larry Hogan.
Still, even Trone hasn't been able to buy a seat in Congress every time he's run, losing his first primary contest to Jamie Raskin. Trone doesn't have much support among Republicans, except when compared to more-progressive candidates in his party. On balance, Hogan is remembered by independent and moderate voters in both major parties as a popular governor who ran the state well for eight years. He has much more name recognition statewide than Trone. But he doesn't have the razor-thin advantage he might have had, if he had gone directly into the race from Government House in 2023.
Photo courtesy Hogan for Maryland
15 comments:
Hmmm, might buy the state some time before our totally 'running down the drain.' Hopefully Hogan will wave the GOP flag, with him, no telling.
Hogan’s reputation as squeaky-clean suffered a major hit following the McGrath scandal.
And his reelection in 2018 will be the last time any Republican will be elected to statewide office in Maryland.
9:05: The whole McGrath saga - absolutely wild. We'll likely never know all the facts from start to finish there.
Have you ever noticed how many Maryland politicians suffer from being "aesthetically challenged".
Robin Ficker can't be happy about this announcement.
@9:05 I kinda disagree, if just a bit. I think it's hard for any Republican to get elected in Maryland right now but not forever as you say, it's the GQP Trump Cult nonsense nationwide that needs to end to perhaps rectify that. Maryland, and Hogan, can be purpleish. If we can as a nation dispel the crazies, and retake whatever is left of the Republican party, a moderate R could get elected in Maryland. Maybe?
Get rid of Trump and his acolytes and maybe we'll start winning again. #somuchlosing
I'm a Republican and would never vote for that slob. Makes me sick to my stomach. This is one reason Democrats win elections, they will vote party Every. Single. Time. - because they have no standards - except double standards.
Maybe I'm missing something, but in trying to piece togeter all that I don’t see any culpability. What don't I see?
What the hell, 10:39-- not only are politicians' looks irrelevant to their work, but some of Maryland's (including Hogan) have probably had their appearance affected by treatments for cancer or other medical issues. Show a little class.
6:16 is going to need a safe space cinema November.
What was Mikulski's excuse 3:00?
@6:15, this is 6:16, and I don't know what a "safe space cinema" is, maybe you can enlighten me about which conspiracy theory or standard Q talking point that comes from. Seems I touched a nerve, cult member. You couldn't even form a coherent sentence through the froth coming from your cultish mouth. Baa baa Orange Sheep.
@4:11 Take a deep breath and stop letting your TDS run your life. Trump going to be your next POTUS because everyone, (except you perhaps), can see the damage done by democrats.
I am curious if the MAGA/Dan Cox people who dominate the state party will even be willing to nominate Hogan. He doesn't have a cakewalk any more than Trone does.
Well a Rino is better than a socialist communist like the rest of the Maryland and Montgomery county losers radicals
Post a Comment