In a new ad, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says that if he is voted as the first Republican to the Senate from the Old Line State in more than 40 years, neither Republicans nor Democrats will be able to count on his vote.
Hogan said on Tuesday, “I want to say this right away: Republicans can’t count on my vote in the Senate.” “But then Democrats can’t either.”
“If they want my vote, they need to do what’s best for Maryland, not just one party.” As your governor, I did the same thing, and as your senator, I will do the same thing.
If you remember, Hogan won the Republican primary on May 14 and this is his second ad for the general election.
In his first commercial, he called for abortion rights to be made legal across the country. This was a big departure from what most Republicans believe and an effort by Democrats to make the issue less important in the race.
Team Hogan has spent $1 million on ads, and the new one is called “Right for Maryland.”
Hogan, 68, has criticized former President Donald Trump, 77, in the past, and he has said that he won’t vote for the likely Republican nominee in the general election.
Hogan will be running against Angela Alsobrooks, the Democratic executive of Prince George’s County, for the spot that Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) is leaving open.
Maryland voters last chose a Republican for the Senate in 1980, and even if Hogan wins on November 5, it would still be a very good showing for the GOP across the country.
Democrats have a 51–49 majority in the Senate right now, but they have to defend 23 seats this time, including three held by independents who join the party’s group. Republicans, on the other hand, only have to defend 11.
Republicans are looking at races for the Senate in West Virginia, Montana, Ohio, Arizona, and Pennsylvania as possible chances to pick up seats. Though Hogan is clearly the underdog in Maryland, GOP leaders think that he is the best person to flip the seat, even though he is against Trump.
Hogan won re-election as governor of Maryland by almost 12 percentage points in 2018, which was a “wave” year for Democrats. Maryland chose Vice President Biden over Trump by 33% of the vote in 2020.
Not only would Alsobrooks be the second woman from Maryland to become a senator, but she would also be the first black woman to do so.