ANNAPOLIS, Maryland (AP) — Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican vying for a Senate seat that could decide the chamber’s majority, will again stay away from the Republican National Convention because, as a leading party leader, he is still unsure whether Republicans will financially support his campaign.
Hogan’s campaign has confirmed that the former governor will not attend the Republican National Convention, which will be held in Milwaukee next month from July 15-18. Hogan, who was one of former President Donald Trump’s fiercest critics, also did not attend the 2020 and 2016 conventions.
Hogan, who is trying to navigate a difficult path in a heavily Democratic state, angered party leaders last week when he said the public should “respect the verdict and the judicial process” before Trump is convicted by a Manhattan jury on 34 counts related to paying hush money.
“At this dangerously divided moment in our history, politicians of all parties must not add fuel to the fire by displaying even more partisanship,” Hogan posted on X before the verdict was announced. “We must reaffirm what made this nation great: the rule of law.”
Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to Trump’s campaign, countered by saying, “You just ended your campaign.”
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was found guilty on all counts related to a plot to illegally interfere in the 2016 election. He falsified business records to conceal hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claimed the two had sex. The former president criticized the verdict as politically motivated.
On Sunday, Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee and daughter-in-law of the former president, sharply criticized Hogan’s comments, saying on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Hogan “does not deserve the respect of anyone in the Republican Party at this time.”
When asked if the Republican Party would financially support Hogan’s campaign, Lara Trump replied: “Well, I will get back to you with all the details on the financial resources, but what I can tell you as co-chair of the Republican Party is that I think he should never have said something like that. I think it’s ridiculous.”
In March, the RNC voted to install Trump’s handpicked leadership team, including Lara Trump as co-chair.
Meanwhile, the National Republican Senatorial Committee is fully behind Hogan, who is perhaps the Republicans’ strongest candidate for the Senate this election cycle.
Committee chairman Senator Steve Daines (R-Montana) told the Associated Press on Tuesday that they “of course” want to support Hogan.
When asked about Lara Trump’s comments, Daines said Hogan was running a campaign that was in line with the policies of his own state.
“I think it’s important to remember that Larry Hogan is running for the U.S. Senate in Maryland, not Mississippi,” Daines said.
Outgoing Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Tuesday he supports all Republican candidates.
“I think we need more Republican members in the Senate,” McConnell said. “And whether your name is Mike Lee or Susan Collins, we need more Republicans to set the agenda. So, of course, I support all Republican candidates, and Governor Hogan would certainly be one of them.”
Ohio Senator JD Vance, asked about Hogan on Monday, said he thought Hogan’s post was “a huge mistake” and that “I think it’s appropriate to criticize him when he says things that anger the majority of Republicans in Congress, but I still hope he wins.”
“The nature of Larry Hogan’s candidacy and whether he gets into the Senate, which I hope he will, shows that he will be to the left of the Republican majority on almost every issue,” Vance said. “We will criticize him, but I still want him to win.”
Hogan is trying to become the first Republican in more than 40 years to win a Senate seat in Maryland, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1 nationwide. Most Democrats come from Baltimore and the Washington suburbs. He is running against Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, the governor of Prince George’s County near the capital.
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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed in Washington.
Brian Witte, The Associated Press
