Maryland Congressman Andy Harris is new chair of the House Freedom Caucus

In a written interview with the Washington Blade, former Republican governor of Maryland Larry Hogan discussed his decision to run for U.S. Senate and defended his record on LGBTQ rights.

“It’s more important than ever that we provide strong, independent leadership at all levels of government, uniting people and fighting for our exhausted majority,” Hogan said in response to Blade questions sent by his campaign on July 30. “Marylanders know me, and they know that as governor I was proud to represent all Marylanders, and that’s exactly what I will do in the U.S. Senate.”

Hogan served as Governor of Maryland from 2015 to 2023.

Hogan defeated then-lieutenant governor and now-state attorney general Anthony Brown by a 52-46 percent margin in 2014. Four years later, he defeated former NAACP president Ben Jealous by a 56-43 percent margin.

Hogan said he would not run for president in March 2023. He announced in February that he would run for the retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) seat.

Hogan handily won the Republican primary in May and will face Democratic Prince George’s County Mayor Angela Alsobrooks in November, a race that could determine whether Democrats can retain control of the Senate.

“I like and respect the mayor and we’ve worked together on a lot of things as governors,” Hogan said of Also-Brooks, “we just have fundamental differences of opinion on issues and how to approach things. I take an independent approach and am committed to fighting extreme partisanship and restoring decency and common sense to this country.”

Former governor defends LGBTQ record amid criticism

Hogan signed a bill banning so-called conversion therapy in Maryland in 2018. In a 2023 interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Hogan criticized Florida’s “don’t say gay” law signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A bill creating a Commission on LGBTQ Issues within the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives went into effect in 2021 without Governor Hogan’s signature.

Hogan also did not sign a bill that would have banned the so-called LGBTQ panic defense in Maryland.

This law also came into effect in 2021.

Hogan spokesman Blake Curnen offered further details about the former governor’s record on LGBTQ rights.

“After calling for ‘tolerance and mutual respect’ in his inaugural address, Governor Hogan has supported priorities for the LGBTQ community throughout his time in office,” Kernen told the Blade. “For example, he has enacted legislation banning the practice of conversion therapy, upheld and strengthened the state’s anti-discrimination protections, including enacting measures to expand coverage for IVF treatments to same-sex couples, amending birth certificates for transgender Marylanders, banning the gay panic defense, and enacting measures to make it easier to prosecute hate crimes.”

(The Panic Defense Bill passed without Hogan’s signature.)

Kernen noted that Hogan appointed the first openly LGBTQ person to serve as chief justice of the Maryland Court of Appeals.

Judge Hogan appointed E. Gregory Wells to serve as Chief Judge of the Court of Special Appeals in 2022. Wells, who is Black, is also the first African-American to be appointed to the position.

Kernen also told the Blade that Hogan “appointed the first commissioner and administrator” of the Maryland Commission on LGBTQ Affairs (a law that went into effect in 2021 without Hogan’s signature).

“He signed anti-bullying legislation and pushed through numerous initiatives, including increased funding and expanded community and school resources to combat bias and hate crimes,” Kernen said.

“When Governor Hogan leaves office in January 2023, the state will continue to receive the highest ranking from the Human Rights Campaign for its innovative work toward equality,” he added. “Maryland has a bipartisan tradition of support for the LGBTQ community, and Governor Hogan looks forward to furthering this work in the Senate.”

Hogan took part in the Annapolis Pride Parade on June 1.

Democratic Gov. Wes Moore also participated. A spokesman for Also-Brooks’ campaign told The Blade that while the governor was unable to attend, many of his campaign’s volunteers and supporters took part in the parade.

“We’re grateful to Annapolis Pride for giving our nominees the opportunity to participate in the festival,” Hogan said. “We wish Mayor Also Brooks could have joined us as well. It was a great parade and a true testament to community spirit.”

HRC endorsed Also-Brooks last month.

HRC President Kelly Robinson said in a statement that Alsobrooks “has always been a champion of equality and freedom, from supporting the state law that legalized same-sex marriage in 2012 to being the first county commissioner in Maryland to allow the Progress Pride flag to fly in the county courthouse.”

Throughout his campaign, Alsobrooks has emphasized abortion rights in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade. In an interview with The Blade ahead of the May 14 Democratic primary, Alsobrooks addressed Hogan’s “well-known position as someone who is not pro-abortion.”

In a May 22 statement, Curnen criticized Also-Brooks for Hogan’s comments on abortion rights.

“Governor Hogan has been pro-choice in Maryland for eight years, including funding for abortion access in his annual budget and becoming the first governor in the nation to provide over-the-counter contraception paid for by Medicaid,” Kernen said. “The governor said in 2019 that Roe was just, and has publicly opposed a nationwide abortion ban since 1992.”

“He rightly vetoed a bill that would allow unlicensed medical professionals to perform abortions because it would have lowered the standard of care for women,” Kernen added. “In the Senate, rather than playing politics on this issue, he will work to restore Roe v. Wade to the law of the land. Marylanders know that Governor Hogan will keep his promises, which is why voters continue to reject these stale, false and fear-mongering attacks.”

Assassination attempt on President Trump called a “horrific tragedy”

Hogan remains a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump.

He did not support Trump in 2016 or 2020, and did not attend last month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Trump endorsed Hogan for Senate in June, but Kernen said Hogan “has not sought and has no interest in being endorsed.”

President Trump survived an assassination attempt on July 13 during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Mr Hogan described the assassination attempt as a “horrific tragedy”, adding: “The country is at a dangerous turning point and our country is at a flashpoint right now.”

“I’ve long advocated for finding ways to reduce tensions and eliminate divisive rhetoric and angry, toxic politics,” Hogan said.

The Blade asked Hogan whether he thought the country could unite in the wake of the assassination attempt.

“As I travel the state and meet with Marylanders, it gives me hope,” he said in response to a question. “If politicians and pundits were more like regular people, the whole country would be a better place.”

Public Policy Opinion Surveys vote The poll, conducted June 19-20, found Alsobrooks leading Hogan, 45 percent to 34 percent. If Hogan wins the November poll, he would become the first Republican elected to the U.S. Senate from Maryland since Charles Macias, who retired in 1987.

“I think a lot of voters, Republican and Democrat, want a strong, independent leader who will clean up the mess in Washington,” Hogan told the Blade. “They know me and they know that I’m that kind of person.”

“For a long time, pundits have been saying that Hogan’s style of politics is over, but every time we’ve proven them wrong,” he added. “I know I’m the underdog, but I’m going to prove them wrong again.”

Hogan was answering questions from the Washington Blade before Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.

“I congratulate Governor Walz on being selected as the Democratic vice presidential nominee,” Hogan said in a statement Tuesday. “We have had the opportunity to work together as fellow governors, and although we are from different parties, I have always admired his dedication to public service. I believe we need more governors at the national level because state governors have to actually get things done. I wish Tim and his family all the best in their upcoming campaigns.”