Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan Won’t Back GOP Nominee to Replace Him
When a sitting Republican governor refuses to endorse his own partys nominee to replace him, you know things have gotten weird. Like really weird. This isnt normal political disagreement – this is a sitting governor essentially saying his party has lost its mind. Larry Hogan just announced he wont be backing Dan Cox, the Trump-endorsed candidate who won Marylands GOP gubernatorial primary. And Hogan did not mince words about why. At all.
Hogan reportedly called Cox a “QAnon whack job” which is… not typically how you describe your partys standard bearer. Thats not diplomatic disagreement, thats barely contained contempt. But Cox has embraced election denialism with both arms, organized buses to the January 6th rally that turned into an insurrection, and generally represents everything Hogan has spent his entire governorship distancing himself from. From Hogans perspective, endorsing Cox would be endorsing the destruction of everything he built.
The Republican Civil War Continues And Gets Uglier
This is a perfect example of where the GOP is right now – completely fractured between people who want to win elections and people who want to perform loyalty to one man. You have a successful two-term Republican governor in a blue state – the kind of figure the party used to celebrate, used to put on stage at conventions as proof they could appeal beyond the base – effectively saying his own party has nominated an unacceptable candidate. Thats a huge deal even if the national media treats it as just another data point in the ongoing chaos.
Hogan won Maryland twice by being competent and moderate. He stayed away from culture war stuff and focused on roads and jobs and things that actually affect peoples daily lives. That playbook worked great in a state Biden won by 33 points. He proved Republicans COULD win in blue areas if they werent crazy about it. Now his party has nominated someone running on stolen election conspiracies and QAnon-adjacent nonsense. Its a fascinating rejection of what actually wins in swing and blue areas.
Cox will almost certainly lose in November and everyone who pays attention to politics knows it. Democrat Wes Moore is a strong candidate with a compelling story, Maryland is very blue and getting bluer, and having the outgoing Republican governor openly hostile to you isnt exactly helpful for building a coalition. But Trump endorsed Cox and that mattered more to primary voters than electability. Winning the primary was the goal, winning the general was apparently optional.
What This Actually Tells Us About the Party
Hogans refusal to endorse is a data point in the larger story of moderate Republicans being squeezed out of their own party. Either you embrace the Trump worldview completely and without reservation or youre essentially a RINO – Republican In Name Only. Theres no middle ground anymore, no room for people who want to win elections in competitive districts by appealing to swing voters.
Whether thats sustainable as a national strategy remains to be seen but the early returns arent great. You can win primaries with base enthusiasm but you need broader appeal for general elections in most places. Maryland in 2022 will be a test case in what happens when a party nominates someone its own outgoing incumbent thinks is dangerously unfit for office.
The Democrats actually spent money boosting Cox in the primary because they knew he was unelectable. Thats how confident they are that the Trump wing of the Republican party is political poison in blue states. When your opponents are actively helping your candidate win the primary, maybe thats a sign somethings gone wrong with your nomination process. Just a thought.
