ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan plans to announce Tuesday that he will not run for the U.S. Senate, rebuffing an aggressive recruitment push from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans who saw the term-limited governor as the GOP’s best chance to win in the deep-blue state.
The planned announcement was confirmed by a person familiar with Hogan’s decision, who wasn’t authorized to preempt the governor.
Hogan planned to announce his decision during an unrelated afternoon press conference in the governor’s mansion, explaining that he could not finish his term as governor effectively and run for the Senate at the same time.
The governor’s decision, while not totally unexpected, marks a setback in the Republican Party’s broader fight to seize the Senate majority this fall. Given his popularity, the 65-year-old Republican, a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump, would have instantly become a legitimate contender against Democratic incumbent Sen. Chris Van Hollen — even in a state Trump lost by 32 percentage points in 2020.
There are no other high-profile Republican contenders in Maryland’s Senate contest. The filing deadline is Feb. 22.
Hogan privately notified key Washington Republicans, including McConnell, of his decision ahead of the press conference.
Aides sought to distinguish Hogan’s move from that of New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who stunned McConnell’s team last November by announcing he would seek reelection for governor instead of running for the Senate. At the time, Sununu was widely expected to enter the race to challenge Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan, but he changed his mind after speaking to multiple Senate Republicans.
Hogan never signaled he was interested in becoming a senator. Just last month he publicly declared that he did not have “a burning desire” to serve in the Senate. But given the extraordinary encouragement he received from leading Republicans in Washington, he gave the prospect serious consideration.
