Maryland GOP governor who’s criticized Trump says he’s considering 2024 presidential run

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), a frequent critic of President Trump, on Tuesday announced a virtual book tour for his forthcoming memoir and said he is considering a 2024 presidential bid.

“After this November election is over, regardless of who wins, there are a large majority of Americans who are completely convinced our political system is fundamentally broken, and they’re going to be looking for something different,” Hogan told The New York Times.

“We have an election coming up — we’ll see what happens there — but I’ve been leading the nation’s governors through one of the biggest crises in our lifetime,” Hogan said.

Hogan’s book, “Still Standing: Surviving Cancer, Riots, a Global Pandemic, and the Toxic Politics that Divide America,” singles out the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the newspaper.

“It’s mixed messages — bouncing from one message to the other,” Hogan said. “[Trump’s] entire administration is telling everyone to take it seriously while he tells everybody to not take it seriously.”

While Hogan alluded to a potential presidential bid, he told the Times he was not interested in challenging Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) in 2022. An October 2019 Washington Post-University of Maryland poll indicated Maryland voters, who have not elected a Republican senator since the 1970s, would back Hogan 50 percent to 42 percent in such a matchup.

“I still have 31 months of being governor of Maryland,” Hogan told the Times. “It’s not something I’m actively considering. Senate has not been the focus.”

The virtual book tour is scheduled to include events with several Republicans who have been willing to challenge or criticize the president in the past, including former GOP Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, Chris Christie of New Jersey and Jeb Bush of Florida, as well as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The tour is scheduled to run July 29 to Aug. 11.