Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced a Senate bid in an attempt to help Republicans flip a deep-blue state as Sen. Ben Cardin is set to retire.
The situation comes as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been working quietly behind the scenes to recruit Hogan to run for Cardin's seat. He hailed the former Maryland governor's entry into the race as a "big, big development."
McConnell said that he and Steve Daines, the National Republican Senatorial Committee chair, had "numerous" conversations with Hogan in the last week to persuade him to run for Cardin's seat.
In an interview, the Senate minority leader said that he enjoyed the conversations that they had with Hogan. McConnell called the former Maryland governor "extraordinarily popular," adding that being competitive in a blue state is "quite a boost for us."
He noted that Daines and him both had numerous talks with Hogan, adding that his political team also had talks with the former Maryland governor. Hogan's decision to run for the Senate came on the same day of his state's filing deadline, as per The Hill.
The major development suddenly turns a race that Democratic lawmakers were expected to win easily into a competitive contest where they may have to spend heavily to defend. Left-wing lawmakers have a built-in advantage in the liberal state.
On the other hand, Hogan, who served as the state's governor from 2015 to 2023, left office with an impressive 77% approval rating. Neither of the two leading candidates for the Senate Democratic nomination, Prince Geprge's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks nor Rep. David Trone has successfully broken through as the clear favorite.
Furthermore, Alsobrooks replaced her campaign manager and brought in new staff in December last year as she was facing low poll numbers and lackluster fundraising. The Senate minority leader worked quietly to entice the former Maryland governor to enter the race.
This was even when McConnell was under intense criticism from disgruntled conservatives in his conference, including Sens. Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and Ron Johnson. They relentlessly criticized a bipartisan border security deal that he helped broker with Sen. James Lankford.
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Battle for Ben Cardin's Seat
Hogan said in his announcement of his Senate bid that he was running for the seat not for one party but to stand up to both sides and fight for Maryland. The 67-year-old also argued that Washington is "completely broken" and that he is "completely fed up" with politics as usual, according to CNN.
Other than being a popular governor known for his moderate record, Hogan is also known for criticizing fellow Republican and former President Donald Trump while in office and during the latter's latest presidential campaign.
Hogan's announcement comes after he recently endorsed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He was a successful business leader before he entered politics.
He also considered a run for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination and made several trips to New Hampshire in 2022. It was the state that holds the first primary in the Republican nominating calendar, said Fox News.
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