ANNAPOLIS, MD—At a State House press conference today, Governor Larry Hogan announced that he will not be a candidate for the United States Senate in 2022:
“Lastly today, I want to put to rest a question that some of you have been asking me. I want to let you know that I will not be a candidate for the United States Senate.
“I sincerely appreciate the people who have been encouraging me to consider it. A number of people said they thought I could make a difference in the Senate as a voice for common sense and moderation. I was humbled by that, and it certainly gave me and my family reason to consider it.
“But as I have repeatedly said, I don’t aspire to be a senator, and that fact has not changed.
“Over the past week, as I was working on my State of the State address, it really drove it home for me even more clearly just how important it is that I finish the work that we’ve started together here.
“When I pledged to the people of Maryland that I was going to give this job as governor everything I’ve got every single day that I’m given, I meant it. And that commitment is far more important to me than any political campaign.
“This does not mean that I plan to sit on the sidelines when it comes to the serious challenges facing our country and our democracy. I’m going to continue to call it like I see it, and I’ll keep speaking out about the divisiveness and dysfunction in Washington, and about fixing the broken politics.
“My current job as governor runs until January 2023, and then we’ll take a look and see what the future holds after that.
“But for now, I’m going to keep working hard over this next year, and I plan to run through the tape at the finish—next January.”