Politics

Larry Hogan Rules Out Senate Run For Retiring Dem’s Seat

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Former Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan ruled out a Senate run Tuesday after Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin announced Monday that he isn’t seeking reelection, according to NewsNation.

Hogan previously toyed with running for president in 2024, but announced in March that he wouldn’t, prompting questions from senators, donors, the media and even his wife asking about the freshly open Senate seat, he toldNewsNation’s Leland Vittert. The former governor said that while he believes he could win the race, he has no “interest in being a senator.”

“I really wanted to be governor, and I loved being governor. I thought I was making a difference in my state, and the Senate’s an entirely different job,” said Hogan. “You’re one of 100 people arguing all day, not a lot gets done in the Senate, and most former governors that I know that go into the Senate aren’t thrilled with the job.”

Hogan, a former two-term governor in a blue state, acknowledged that it would be difficult to win in a presidential year, especially considering a Republican hasn’t been elected to the Senate from Maryland since the 1980s. The former governor, who declined to run against Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen in 2022, admitted he’s “never been interested in the job.”

The former governor won the blue state’s gubernatorial election in 2014 by 3.8 points and won reelection in 2018 by nearly 12 points.

Two of Maryland’s Democratic congressmen are potential candidates running for the seat — Reps. Dave Trone and Jamie Raskin — as well as Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.

“I could win the race,” said Hogan. “It’s not something I’m pursuing.”