Maryland Governor, Potential 2024 Republican Presidential Candidate
Maryland’s Republican governor, Larry Hogan, is a potential 2024 Republican primary candidate. His background in politics begins early in life, because as the son of a United States representative he has been in politics almost since birth. At 24 he ran for his father’s former seat but lost the election, he then worked as a broker for almost twenty years before reentering politics. He won his Governor’s position in 2014, and then won reelection in 2018.
Governor Hogan is one of the few true centrists left in American politics. For his liberal positions, he’s signed legislation targeting the reduction of green house gases and also has banned fracking in Maryland. Despite this though, Hogan has vetoed legislation that would have seen Maryland accelerate its green energy goals. He’s also been fairly strong on guns signing legislation that would ban gun stocks and also prohibit convicted domestic abusers from owning weapons, but at the same time has refused to sign legislation banning ghost guns.
As for his more Republican leaning tendencies, he has a mixed record on abortion. He is personally against it, and in the 1980s stated it should be banned. Governor Hogan then changed his opinion in the 1990s saying that pro-choice laws should not be overturned and the people should decide whether or not to have abortions. He also banned Syrian refugees from being placed in Maryland after the Paris terrorist attack by Syrian refugees there.
In the 2016 primaries, he endorsed New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. After Trump won the nomination he declined to endorse either Trump or Hillary Clinton. This has led to a somewhat tumultuous relationship between the governor and former President. Governor Hogan criticized Trump’s response to the pandemic and also his way of governing and has stated multiple times the party needs to separate itself from Trump.
Hogan said he is ‘certainly going to take a look’ at 2024 presidential bid. Source: The Hill.