Republican Larry Hogan proved he can win statewide in deep-blue Maryland, but he has never faced a campaign like the one he is about to undertake.
The former governor has not had to run with Donald Trump atop the ballot or with control of the U.S. Senate on the line. Nor has Hogan had to run against a Democrat who has a chance to make history — a Black woman backed by a nationwide coalition eager to defeat him.
As he seeks to become Maryland’s next senator against the Democratic nominee, Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks, Hogan also faces a far different electorate and political climate than when he won his first gubernatorial race a decade ago.
After eight years in Annapolis, he will be forced to defend his record against Democrats no longer willing to celebrate him as a symbol of bipartisan leadership. One target, they say, is his 2022 veto of legislation to expand abortion access in Maryland.
“We can do it because he has got a bad record,” said Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown (D), who lost the 2014 gubernatorial race to Hogan. “We were afraid that if we criticized the governor, we would be viewed as overly partisan.”
