Larry Hogan expresses zero desire for Trump's endorsement in the Maryland Senate competition.
If asked about accepting the endorsement, Hogan told CNN affiliate WTOP radio in an interview, "Well, I simply stated I didn't ask for it, and I didn't desire it. I've no intention of promoting it."
He went on: "It ain't something we'll be pushing, that's for sure. In a state that Donald Trump lost by 33 points, it don't exactly draw many voters to our side. So I don't believe we'll be keen on accepting it."
The ex-two-term governor, who left office with high approval ratings in the deep blue state, has been a critic of Trump and has been trying to distance himself from the national GOP in his race against Democrat Angela Alsobrooks. Trump's support for Hogan was a treat to Democrats, who think they can protect the seat of retiring Sen. Ben Cardin by arguing that Hogan would be another GOP vote for Trump's agenda in the Senate.
Last week, after Trump told a Fox News reporter he'd like to see Hogan win, he was asked if he was endorsing the Maryland Republican. "Well, nobody's asked me that, but essentially, I'd be endorsing him, yeah," Trump said, according to a clip of the interview aired by Fox News.
Hogan's campaign responded to those comments with a statement that aimed to emphasize his separation from Trump. "Governor Hogan has been clear he's not backing Trump, just as he didn't in 2016 and 2020," Michael Ricci, a spokesman for Hogan, said at the time.
Trump's comments came after his allies ripped into Hogan for saying Americans should "respect the verdict" in Trump's New York hush money trial shortly before it was delivered.
"We were just a little bit struck," Hogan said Thursday about the former president's wish for him to win the Senate contest, calling it "a weak, half-hearted endorsement" while downplaying its impact on the race.
Hogan added: "It also was a shock because for a few weeks before that, they were sort of saying just the opposite. We were getting hammered by Trump's campaign manager and his daughter-in-law who was running the RNC saying some nasty things about me and then, all of a sudden, Donald Trump switched tracks and started saying nice things about me."
Read also:
In response to Trump's expressed desire to endorse him, Hogan downplayed its impact, calling it a "weak, half-hearted endorsement." Despite Trump's allies previously criticizing Hogan, he suddenly started saying nice things about the ex-Maryland governor.
