前马里兰州州长拉里·霍根周日宣布，他不会寻求2024年共和党总统候选人提名。
霍根明确表示，他不会参加竞选，所以他可以专注于击败前总统唐纳德·特朗普——并承认进入初选可能会分裂选民，足以帮助特朗普以多数票赢得提名，就像他在2016年所做的那样。
“要再次成为一个成功的执政党，我们必须超越唐纳德·特朗普。有几个有能力的共和党领导人有潜力站出来领导。但赌注太高，我不能冒险成为另一场多车连环相撞的一部分，这可能有助于特朗普先生夺回提名，”霍根在一份声明中说。
霍根是一名受欢迎的共和党州长，今年任期有限，他曾表示，他正在考虑开展一场运动，试图削弱特朗普重返白宫的努力。(川普曾说霍根是“RINO”，或者只是名义上的共和党人。)
霍根在马里兰州执政八年，保持了广泛的声望，在某些情况下保持了传统保守主义的平衡，但在社会政策上保持了温和。他还面临着一个压倒性的民主党州立法机构，该机构起到了制衡作用，推翻了关于堕胎权和带薪探亲假等问题的立法否决权。
在特朗普政府期间，霍根成为当时总统的公开批评者，去年在中期选举中支持了一系列与席卷共和党的“美国第一”民粹主义背道而驰的候选人。
霍根在周日的声明中呼吁回归他所谓的更传统的保守价值观，同时仍然吸引特朗普纳入共和党阵营的蓝领选民，包括抨击前总统努力推翻他在2020年选举中的失败。
“共和党政治的一个令人鼓舞的趋势在于，进步精英的过度行为创造了吸引更多来自不同背景的工人阶级选民的机会。但共和党内许多人错误地认为，接触这些选民的最佳方式是通过更愤怒、更具表演性的政治和更大的政府，”霍根说。
“我仍然相信共和党主张财政责任，让政府摆脱我们的束缚，让政府掏腰包。我仍然相信一个为每个美国人庆祝企业家精神和经济机会的共和党。“我仍然相信一个坚持和尊重或许是我们最神圣的传统的共和党:和平移交权力。”
尽管如此，霍根在接受哥伦比亚广播公司新闻频道(CBS News)采访时仍目中无人，坚称他本可以在初选中与特朗普面对面，特朗普在2016年获得提名，部分原因是通过人身攻击诋毁他的对手。
“这将是一场艰苦的比赛。他很坚强。但是，你知道，我战胜了威胁生命的癌症。所以特朗普在推特上骂我并没有真正吓走我，”霍根说。
目前的2024年初选仍然很小，只有川普和前南卡罗莱纳州州长妮基·黑利是仅有的两个主要参选人。
然而，其他几位共和党人，如佛罗里达州州长罗恩·德桑蒂斯、前副总统迈克·彭斯、南卡罗来纳州参议员蒂姆·斯科特、弗吉尼亚州州长格伦·杨金和南达科他州州长克里斯蒂·诺姆被认为正在考虑自己的竞选活动。
Former Gov. Larry Hogan not running for president in 2024
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced on Sunday that he will notseek the Republican presidential nomination for 2024.
Hogan made clear that he's not running so he can focus on defeating former President Donald Trump -- and admitted that entering the primary field could split voters enough to help Trump win the nomination with a plurality, as he did in 2016.
"To once again be a successful governing party, we must move on from Donald Trump. There are several competent Republican leaders who have the potential to step up and lead. But the stakes are too high for me to risk being part of another multicar pileup that could potentially help Mr. Trump recapture the nomination," Hogan said in a statement.
A popular Republican governor in a blue state who was term-limited out of office this year, Hogan had said he was considering a campaign to try to blunt Trump's comeback bid for the White House. (Trump has said Hogan is a "RINO," or Republican in name only.)
Hogan spent eight years governing Maryland, maintaining broad popularity with a balance between traditional conservatism in some instances but moderation on social policies. He also faced an overwhelmingly Democratic state legislature that served as a check, overriding vetoes on legislation regarding issues like abortion access and paid family leave.
During the Trump administration, Hogan became a vocal critic of the then-president and last year endorsed a slew of candidates in midterm races who were running counter to the "America First" populism that has swept the GOP.
In his statement on Sunday, Hogan called for a return to what he called more conventional conservative values while still appealing to the blue-collar voters Trump brought into the Republican fold, including knocking the former president on his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan holds a news conference at the Maryland State Capitol, Aug. 5, 2021 in Annapolis, Maryland.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images, FILE
"An encouraging trend for Republican politics lies in the fact that the excesses of progressive elites have created the opportunity to attract more working-class voters from all different backgrounds. But many in the Republican Party falsely believe that the best way to reach these voters is through more angry, performative politics and bigger government," Hogan said.
"I still believe in a Republican Party that stands for fiscal responsibility and getting the government off our backs and out of our pockets. I still believe in a Republican Party that celebrates entrepreneurship and economic opportunity for every American," he said. "And I still believe in a Republican Party that upholds and honors perhaps our most sacred tradition: the peaceful transfer of power."
Still, Hogan was defiant in an interview with CBS News on "Face the Nation," insisting that he could have stood toe-to-toe in a primary with Trump, who rose to the 2016 nomination in part by denigrating his opponents with personal attacks.
"It would be a tough race. And he’s very tough. But, you know, I beat life-threatening cancer. So having Trump call me names on Twitter didn’t really scare me off," Hogan said.
The current 2024 primary field remains small, with just Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley as the only two major entrants.
However, several other Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem are thought to be mulling their own campaigns.
