Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R), reveling in his resounding reelection victory, said Wednesday that he intends to become involved in ongoing conversations about the future of the Republican Party — at the state and national level. But he stopped short of expressing any interest in running for national office.
“At this point, I haven’t given any thought about it whatsoever,” Hogan said in a response to a question.
In a freewheeling State House news conference, called, the governor said, with no agenda whatsoever, he thanked his government staffers for their hard work over the past four years (“they put a lot of effort in for a long time and it’s not a 9-to-5 job”), thanked his campaign staff, and even thanked the media who have been covering his administration and campaign.
Asked about GOP losses in Maryland on Tuesday — two high-profile Republican county executives were ousted, Republicans fell far short of picking up the five state Senate seats they wanted to flip, and they lost at least six seats in the House of Delegates — Hogan suggested that voter discomfort with President Trump’s harsh rhetoric was largely to blame.
“There’s no question that the Republican Party needs to take a close look at itself, not just in Maryland but nationally,” he said. “I think I will be a big part of the conversation.”
Hogan said he is looking forward to his upcoming year as chairman of the National Governors Association, which begins in July, and expects it will elevate his profile and his ability to speak out on national issues. He added that he wasn’t surprised he wasn’t one of the candidates who received a congratulatory phone call from the president on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
“My feelings aren’t hurt,” Hogan said. “I wasn’t really expecting a call.”
Josh Kurtz
Founding editor
Founding Editor Josh Kurtz is a veteran chronicler of Maryland politics and government. He began covering the State House in 1995 for The Gazette newspapers, and has been writing about state and local politics ever since. He was an editor at Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper, for eight years, and for eight years was the editor of E&E Daily, which covers energy and environmental policy on Capitol Hill. For 6 1/2 years Kurtz wrote a weekly column on state politics for Center Maryland and has written for several other Maryland publications as well. Kurtz regularly gives speeches and appears on TV and radio shows to discuss Maryland politics.
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