For some reason, former Maryland governor Larry Hogan (nominal R) thought that his decision not to seek the 2024 GOP presidential nomination he had zero chance of winning is so notable that it needed to be announced in the “paper of record.”
Hogan does seem to understand that he had no chance at all of winning the GOP nomination.
I truly appreciate all those around the nation who have for many years encouraged me to run for president. After eight years of pouring my heart and soul into serving the people of Maryland, I have no desire to put my family through another grueling campaign just for the experience.I would never run for president to sell books or position myself for a cabinet role. I have long said that I care more about ensuring a future for the Republican Party than securing my own future in the Republican Party. And that is why I will not be seeking the Republican nomination for president.
Hogan’s unnecessary thud of an announcement appears to be primarily a vehicle to freely admit he’s unelectable in a GOP primary in order to bash Trump and his tens of millions of supporters.
Since Donald Trump won the nomination in 2016, I have fought to make clear that our party cannot be successful if we put personality before principle, if our elected officials are afraid to say publicly what they freely admit behind closed doors, and if we can’t learn from our mistakes because of the political cost of admitting facts to be true. In 2020, the party didn’t even bother passing a campaign platform. For too long, Republican voters have been denied a real debate about what our party stands for beyond loyalty to Mr. Trump. A cult of personality is no substitute for a party of principle.
I believe the tides are finally turning. Republican voters are growing tired of the drama and are open to new leadership. And while I’m optimistic about the future of the Republican Party, I am deeply concerned about this next election. We cannot afford to have Mr. Trump as our nominee and suffer defeat for the fourth consecutive election cycle. To once again be a successful governing party, we must move on from Mr. Trump. There are several competent Republican leaders who have the potential to step up and lead. But the stakes are too high for me to risk being part of another multicar pileup that could potentially help Mr. Trump recapture the nomination.
Hogan also appears to be taking a swipe at Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who has not (yet?) declared his candidacy.
An encouraging trend for Republican politics lies in the fact that the excesses of progressive elites have created the opportunity to attract more working-class voters from all different backgrounds. But many in the Republican Party falsely believe that the best way to reach these voters is through more angry, performative politics and bigger government. These are just empty calories that can’t sustain the lasting governing coalition necessary to restore America.
Nothing at all performative about writing an op-ed declaring you are not running for a nomination you know you can’t win and then making the rounds on the Sunday talks to complain about the Republican Party and its voters who clearly prefer pretty much anyone over you.
For those keeping track at home, there are currently three declared candidates for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination: former president Donald Trump, former governor of South Carolina and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, and conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
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