GOP Maryland Senate candidate and former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) distanced himself from former President Trump’s endorsement of him.
“Well, I just said I didn’t … I didn’t seek it, I didn’t wanna have it, and I have no interest in it. It’s not something we’re gonna be promoting, that’s for sure,” Hogan, a common Trump critic, said in an interview with D.C.-area radio station WTOP when asked if he rejects the endorsement.
Trump has said he would “like to see” Hogan “win” Maryland’s Senate race when asked if he would support the former Maryland governor’s current bid, per a clip via Fox Business. The race in which Hogan is facing Democratic nominee Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks will decide who will replace retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.).
“We gotta take the majority. We have to straighten out our country. So, I’d like to see him win. He’s somebody that can win … I know other people made some strong statements, but I can just say from my standpoint, I’m about the party and I’m about the country,” Trump said to reporter Aishah Hasnie.
In the interview with WTOP, Hogan called the endorsement a “surprise” and noted criticism from those close to Trump, including Republican National Committee (RNC) co-Chair Lara Trump, as a factor in that surprise.
“So, it also was a surprise because for the few weeks before that, they were sort of saying just the opposite,” Hogan said. “We were gettin’ blown up by Trump’s campaign manager and his daughter-in-law, who was running the RNC, saying really bad things about me, and then, all of a sudden, Donald Trump switched gears and started saying nice things about me.”
The Hill has reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment.