It is crazy. Hogan said he was trying to support people who he thought deserved to be in office. We are trying to help people wherever we can, and I am sure we will be doing a lot more of it.
Hogan, who was considering a primary challenge to Trump in 2020, has begun building out a national political infrastructure. An America United was launched last year by his supporters, who were promoting the governor as a bipartisan problem-solver. Hogan, who will not be running for another term as governor next year, has begun meeting with donors and speaking at national GOP events. He is scheduled to speak at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute's "Time for Choosing Speaker Series" about the future of the Republican Party in May.
His focus has been on helping the Republicans who have taken on the former president. Hogan's nonprofit has begun running digital advertisements in support of six-term congresswoman Martha Beutler, who is facing a challenge from Joe Kent. The challenger has received financial support from Peter Thiel, a conservative who met with Trump multiple times last year.
The congressman is facing a challenge from a Trump supporter.
Hogan is looking at supporting some of the Trump critics, including one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach the former president. The congressman, who has represented one of the bluest seats in the House, has been called bad news by Trump and offered to campaign against him.
The people who wouldn't overturn the election or buy into the big lie are being attacked. Hogan called on Trump to resign following the Capitol siege, but he said it was a real problem for the party.
The governor is concerned that Trump's revenge campaign against Republicans could undermine the party by pushing candidates through primaries who won't be viable in the general election. In Georgia, Hogan claimed that by attacking Kemp and endorsing a primary challenger, Trump is going toelect a Democrat as governor.
Hogan argued that the endorsement of Baker by Trump contributed to his decision to forgo reelection. Baker, a popular figure in Massachusetts whose retirement could well hand the governor's mansion to Democrats in November, has insisted he wasn't "shaken" by Trump's involvement in the race.
The governor said that Trump's attacks on Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey had undermined the GOP's prospects of recruiting him into the Senate race against Mark Kelly, potentially robbing the party of a top-tier candidate in a contest that could determine control of the chamber.
I think the biggest threat to Republican success next year is Trump, and he wants to ruin these races. Hogan argued that asking people to swear blind allegiance to Trump is going to cause some races to lose.
He said that he was trying to do his part to contain the damage.
Hogan has hosted events for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
The race to succeed Hogan is also playing host to a proxy battle between the governor and the former president. While Hogan has thrown his support to former state commerce secretary Kelly Schulz, Trump is backing Dan Cox, a state delegate who has railed against mask mandates. Trump called Hogan a "RINO", an acronym for Republican In Name Only, in his statement endorsing Cox.
Hogan said he would give endorsements from people who didn't lose Maryland by 33 points.
A Hogan bid would be difficult given Trump's hold over the GOP. There is an opening for a Trump critic in the party. Only a few Republican hopefuls have been willing to take on the former president. Hogan won two terms in a liberal state and is on the roster.
Hogan said he was focused on helping his fellow Republican governors, including Kemp and Little. It is possible that the list will grow, as Trump has met with a Republican who is running for governor in Alabama.
Hogan is willing to help any of them. I will try to do whatever they ask me to.
