WASHINGTON – Former President and presumed Republican nominee Donald Trump said in an interview on June 13 that he “hopes Hogan wins” in an effort to flip the Senate from Democratic control to a Republican majority.
Hogan was personally recruited by leading Senate Republican Mitch McConnell to enter the race for similar reasons. Trump is deeply unpopular in Maryland, and tying his toxic brand to Hogan is unlikely to help Hogan build the bipartisan coalition he needs to win in the deep-blue state. He has trailed in both polls against Democratic nominee Angela Alsobrooks since the primary election concluded.
The Hogan campaign and Maryland Republicans have attempted to downplay the significance of that support, noting that Hogan has been a critic of some of Trump’s worst behaviors as both a candidate and elected official.
“Governor Hogan has been clear he is not supporting President Trump, just as he didn’t in 2016 and 2020,” said Hogan campaign spokesman Michael Ricci in an official statement. The Maryland Republican Party said they “plan to support candidates from the top to bottom of the ballot”.
The Maryland Democratic Party and the campaign of Democratic Senate nominee Angela Alsobrooks were quick to tie Hogan to Trump’s quest for a Republican legislative majority.
“Donald Trump wants Larry Hogan because Trump knows Hogan would be the deciding vote to put Republicans in charge of the U.S. Senate,” read an email sent by the Maryland Democratic Party shortly after the announcement. “It could not be more clear what is at stake.”
“The stakes of this race could not get any higher. Just last week, Senate Republicans shot down access to contraception. Hours ago, Senate Republicans voted against protecting IVF,” said the Alsobrooks campaign via a statement. “And just now, Donald Trump endorsed Larry Hogan so he can have a Republican majority.”
Political observers, noting Trump’s unpopularity and Hogan’s past success in courting Democrats and independents, don’t believe this will assist Hogan’s campaign.
“This was a very cynical effort by Donald Trump to torpedo Larry Hogan’s chances of winning this election,” said political analyst and consultant Len Foxwell. “This does nothing to help Larry Hogan in Maryland. This crystallizes the argument that the Democrats are going to use against him, which is that a vote for Larry Hogan is a vote for Republican control of the Senate and a vote for the Trump agenda.”
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