Hogan says he won’t vote for Trump despite former president’s endorsement

Republican Maryland Senate nominee Larry Hogan said he won’t vote for former President Trump in the upcoming election, even though the former president is endorsing his campaign.

“Look, I’ve said neither one of the two candidates has earned my vote, and the voters in the country are going to be able to make that decision,” the former Maryland governor said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Host Robert Costa pressed Hogan, asking if there is “no chance” he would cast his ballot for Trump.

“I’m not going to. I didn’t vote for him in 2016 or 2020, and I’ve made that pretty clear,” Hogan responded in a clip highlighted by Mediaite. “But look, I’m not running just for a Republican Party. … It’s not just about red versus blue, which is what my opponent wants it to be about — I’m concerned about the red, white and blue, and I’m willing to put country over party, and I’m hoping that the voters will be willing to do the same thing.”

Hogan received an endorsement from Trump in June. But as one of the most outspoken GOP critics of the former president, Hogan has tried to distance himself from Trump, and the endorsement put him in a bit of a political bind.

Later in Sunday’s segment, Hogan called Trump’s comments attacking Vice President Harris as mentally disabled “outrageous and unacceptable.” Hogan also noted that Trump’s “divisive rhetoric is something that we could do without.”

According to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, Democrat Angela Alsobrooks leads Hogan in the Maryland Senate race by 9.4 percentage points.

The race is closer than expected in Maryland, a solidly blue state, likely due to Hogan’s name recognition and likability as a two-term governor. His efforts to distance himself from Trump and focus on reproductive rights in the campaign may also be helping his chances.

On Sunday, he said he would support legislation to restore abortion rights nationwide on his first day in office if elected.

“I think I’ve been one of the leading kind of voices of opposition in my party for quite some time,” Hogan said, later adding, “We have a separate, you know, identity. I stand up to him probably more than just about anyone and I’ll continue to.”

In a statement to The Hill, Jackie Bush, the deputy communications director for the Alsobrooks campaign, dismissed Hogan’s comments about Trump. 

“If Larry Hogan were truly committed to stopping Trump, he would have voted for Biden in 2020, and he would be voting for Kamala Harris this year. But he’s not,” Bush said. “Because he needs Trump voters to win this race and to secure a Republican majority in the Senate, which is exactly why Mitch McConnell recruited Larry, and Republican billionaire donors are spending millions on Larry’s candidacy. He’s on their team. Full stop.”

Updated at 10:24 a.m. EDT