Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Tuesday that he won’t run for his old job again this year.
“I care deeply about the state of Maryland, and I remain concerned about the direction of our nation’s politics, but I have no intention of running for office again,” the Republican said in a social media post.
“It was an honor to serve, but it’s time to look forward, not back,” he continued. “The fight for Maryland and America’s future does not belong to any one person or any one party; it belongs to the people.”
Hogan’s decision caps an improbable political career that saw the real estate executive become the first Republican in generations to win back-to-back terms as governor.
Hogan was practically born into politics, the son of Larry Hogan Sr., a Republican congressman and Prince George’s County executive.
The younger Hogan made two unsuccessful runs for Congress himself in the 1980s and 1990s and won governor as his first elected office in 2014, upsetting the favorite, Democratic Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown.
Hogan scored another victory in 2018 over Democratic nominee Ben Jealous, the former head of the national NAACP.
Hogan rose to national political prominence as a foil for President Donald Trump during Trump’s first term, a rare Republican unafraid to call out the president.
But he rarely was successful in passing his favored policies in Maryland, where Democrats hold a supermajority in the General Assembly. Democratic lawmakers seemingly could override any vetoes from Hogan at will, and often did.
Hogan’s tenure coincided with better budget times than the state is seeing now. Once federal funding came flowing into the state related to the coronavirus pandemic, the budget grew. Hogan left office with the state projected to have $3 billion in its Rainy Day Fund and another $2.5 billion in surplus money.
Democrats and state employee unions argued part of the budget surplus was due to underfunding state agencies and leaving state facilities short-staffed.
As a politician, Hogan appeared most comfortable when he was exercising his executive powers. That included during the coronavirus pandemic, when the governor made countless decisions about shutdowns, reopening, tests and vaccines.
Though he had some high-profile coronavirus missteps, including a botched large purchase of tests, Maryland fared better with infections and deaths than many other Republican-led states.
Hogan also has faced repeated questions about whether he steered state money in ways that benefited his real estate company’s work or allies; he was never found to have violated ethics laws.
Since leaving office in January 2023, Hogan has returned to his eponymous Annapolis-based real estate company, given speeches and done university fellowships.
Hogan made an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate in 2024, losing to Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, 55% to 43%.
Hogan also announced his decision in a guest column in The Baltimore Sun.
In his column, Hogan, 69, encouraged a new generation of Republicans to take up the mantle.
“To my fellow Republicans: It is time to invest in a new generation of candidates who are ready to step up, and as elected politics is a binary proposition, who are willing to win with a positive message that appeals to more people,” he wrote.
Had he run, Hogan would have been the biggest name among Republicans seeking to match up against incumbent Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, who is seeking re-election.
Baltimore Blast owner and retired banker Ed Hale Sr., who recently left the Democratic Party, is the best known Republican in the race. State Sen. Steve Hershey, a Republican leader in Annapolis, has yet to decide whether he’ll run.
Both Hale and Hershey issued statements Tuesday praising Hogan’s leadership.
“This moment marks another important step on my journey toward the governorship,” Hale said in his statement.
Hershey said that he’s “thoughtfully considering what role I can play to help move our state in the right direction.”
Despite Hogan’s popularity and high name recognition, he would have faced an uphill battle against Moore.
A Baltimore Banner poll from the fall showed Moore beating Hogan in a hypothetical matchup, 45% to 37%, with 14% undecided.
Moore announced Monday that he had $8 million on hand as he seeks a second term.
Moore’s campaign declined to comment on Hogan’s announcement.
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