WASHINGTON — Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Monday he has decided to run for the state Senate seat this year after Senate Republicans killed a bipartisan border measure after former President Donald Trump. told them to stop.
“That’s why I decided to run for the Senate,” said Hogan, a moderate Republican and Trump criticsaid in an interview with MSNBC Live’s Luke Russert at the network’s first live event in downtown Washington.
“Actually, I’ve never really cared about this race,” Hogan said. “I’ve said 100 times that I didn’t aspire to be a senator. I didn’t need the job. I wasn’t looking for another title, but three weeks ago Wednesday night, when I saw the real solution to the problem, securing the border and funding Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, it was something that most Republican senators said. that all of these things are important and they’re being told to vote against what they believe in – it’s frustrating and quite infuriating to me. say, I think I’m going to get down there and try to do something about it.”
Republicans blocked the border billIn early February, Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma was the chief GOP negotiator.
When asked if he was surprised that Senate Republicans did not support Ukraine, Hogan said he did not understand this “new strain of isolationism in the Republican Party.” He warned that if the US doesn’t help Ukraine now, it will make Americans worse off, adding that he doesn’t understand the “Putin sympathizers” in the GOP either.
“I think that if we don’t do something to help Ukraine now, then we will be forced to send American troops because we will be defending NATO countries.
Hogan said last week that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. leaves the leadership position It didn’t help that he was hired in November. He said Sen. Steve Daines, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has gone “full court press” and dozens of senators have called him. According to him, former Vice President Mike Pence also called him. But he said it was the former president who ultimately convinced him to enter the race.
“Probably the most persuasive guy was George W. Bush, who called me and said he thought I had an important voice for the party,” Hogan said. “He thought we were the missing vote for our party to go back to a more Reagan-like big tent party. And he said, you know, even though you probably don’t want to be a senator, we need you. You.”
Hogan started his campaign on February 9 and immediately became the front-runner for his party’s nomination for the seat held by retired Congressman Ben Cardin. Democratic candidates include Rep. David Trone, D-Md., and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.