Larry Hogan may not have aspirations for another stint in public office, but that doesn’t mean the former two-term centrist Republican governor of Maryland is done with politics.
In fact, Hogan is looking to expand his sway in the party after lying relatively low from the political headlines since losing his 2024 Senate bid. His reemergence comes amid a reckoning in the GOP after Republicans were wiped out in the midterm elections up and down the ballot across the country.
“We have to find, I think, a different kind of a leader. And I don’t know who that is,” Hogan told the Washington Examiner on Thursday. “But I want to be part of the discussion to try to help find that person that I think is going to take us in a different direction from the failed group that’s now in charge. There’s no way you could say, ‘Hey, we’ve been doing great.’”
Hogan’s position, articulated following an event with former Virginia Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe at the Ronald Reagan Institute in Washington, offers hints of an “I-told-you-so” moment after the shellacking Democrats gave Republicans. He’s long advocated for more bipartisanship from both sides of the aisle and is a longtime staunch critic of President Donald Trump.
Hogan now sees a Republican Party freer from the grasp of Trump and beginning to emulate — albeit a little late — his willingness to break from the president and party lines more broadly. In particular, a string of potential 2028 GOP presidential hopefuls from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) to former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Vice President JD Vance have conceded Republicans missed the mark with voters on a range of issues such as the Iran war and affordability concerns. Many GOP lawmakers and voters have quickly laid blame at the feet of Trump and his administration’s agenda.
“I used to be like the lone voice in the wilderness,” Hogan said. “But in the past two days, there have been 100 Republicans going, ‘Yeah, I’m not part of that mess. Let me talk about how we’re going to be different.’”
Former Gov. Larry Hogan, R-Md., speaks at an event at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
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Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan speaks at an event at the National Governors Association’s winter meeting on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Beyond the White House, the midterm elections wipeout that saw Democrats retake both chambers of Congress is shaking up Republican leadership on Capitol Hill. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will not stay on as party leader in the minority, although Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is expected to continue leading his conference as minority leader.
“I admire John Thune. I think he’s been a good leader,” Hogan said. “But I’m hoping he’ll be one of the ones that stands up and starts to speak out more. I think he disagreed with a lot of the policies. It’s like so many other members of the Senate and the House and governors, who just wouldn’t say it. And now, I think they all have the ability to speak out.”
MARYLAND’S ONLY HOUSE REPUBLICAN LOOKS TO LARRY HOGAN TO HELP SURVIVE REDISTRICTING
As for Hogan’s role in being “part of the discussion” to help the party rebuild going into 2028, the centrist Republican signaled the details are still up for debate. For now, he’s working on company boards and said he’s enjoying teaching and leading his newly launched Hogan Institute at Washington College on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
“I want to try to help fix it if I can,” Hogan said of the GOP. “I’ve never been shy about saying what I think. That’s not going to change. But I’m hoping I can find someone to get behind that I think is going to take the party in a different direction.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
