Larry Hogan lambastes GOP for ‘toxic politics’ that thwarted red wave
Ryan King
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Outgoing Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan prodded the Republican Party to conduct some soul-searching after “repeatedly” losing “to a really bad team” and called for new leadership.
During an appearance at a Republican Jewish Coalition meeting Friday, Hogan panned the “lies and toxic politics” that have dogged the party over recent years and contended that the midterm elections should have been a “huge red wave” but ultimately manifested as “barely a ripple” because of critical GOP deficiencies.
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“Frankly, swing voters took a look at some of our less-than-stellar nominees and decided that it was just not what they were looking for,” Hogan said, per the Hill. “Excuses, lies, and toxic politics will not win elections or restore America. … Only real leadership will do that.”
Hogan has long been a critic of former President Donald Trump, turned off by his slash-and-dash style of politics. The governor wrote in former President Ronald Reagan in his 2020 vote. Despite his misgivings with Trump, Hogan commended some of his policy achievements, including Trump’s tax policies and his support of Israel.
Hogan insinuated the Republican Party was flirting with insanity and highlighted how the party has been straddled with lackluster election outings in 2018, 2020, and 2022.
“If you repeatedly lose to a really bad team,” Hogan added, referring to the Democratic Party, “it’s time for new leadership. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”
Hogan underscored that voters have shown a penchant for rewarding “commonsense conservatives” and blamed candidate quality for some of the party’s shortcomings. Hogan leads a deep-blue state that Trump lost by over 30 percentage points and has been a subject of frequent ire from Trump backers.
A cacophony of Republicans have begun echoing similar sentiments in the wake of the midterm elections. This includes other speculated 2024 hopefuls, such as former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Vice President Mike Pence, and more.
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Trump debuted his 2024 reelection campaign Tuesday, and he has lashed out at many of his detractors while also firing off preemptive broadsides against prospective rivals, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
A bevy of Republican heavyweights gathered in Las Vegas for the annual RJC meeting, which commenced Friday and will span across the weekend.