In Trump’s reign, a Republican candidate asked for “respect” for the verdict and this cost him the support of his own party
In Donald Trump’s Republican Party, loyalty is more important than anything. So says Liz Cheney, a historical conservative, who left the party for not having doubted the results of the 2020 elections. There are still those who challenge the former President of the United States within his party, but few survive in political life for much longer.
Larry Hogan, one of the most popular Republicans and a national Senate candidate from the state of Maryland, may be about to fall into the same path. And all because, last Friday, he asked Americans to “respect†the New York court jury decision to find Trump guilty of 34 crimesfor falsifying accounting records to hide the extramarital affair with former actress Stormy Daniels.
The response to Hogan’s neutral and senatorial position, expressed through the social network X (formerly Twitter), was not long in coming. “You just ended your campaign,†declared Chris LaCivita, Trump campaign advisor and head of the Republican National Committee (RNC), in response to Hogan’s comment.
It doesn’t matter that Hogan is a former Republican governor of Maryland, a predominantly Democratic state, nor does it matter that he has one of the best chances of winning a precious Senate seat from the Democrats. For the “MAGA Universe†(from the pro-Trump expression “Make America Great Again†), Larry Hogan’s candidacy is one to burn.
“He doesn’t deserve the respect of anyone in the Republican Party and, frankly, anyone in America. He should never have said that. I think it was ridiculous,” RNC co-director Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of the former President and Republican presidential candidate for November this year, told CNN.
Michael Whatley, chairman of the RNC, went even further. In an interview with the ultra-conservative channel Newsmax, Whatley warned that “now, Larry Hogan has to run his own campaign†, indicating that the Republican Party will no longer support one of its strongest candidates.
Hogan has been a critic of Donald Trump for several years and had already warned that he would not participate in the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Trump will be nominated as the official conservative candidate for the White House. for the 3rd consecutive time. But in an increasingly polarized party, where moderates are a minority on the verge of extinction, being an opponent of the authoritarian and nationalist former leader is a difficult label to carry.
According to a recent survey by Reuters/Ipsos, only 10% of voters registered as Republicans said they were unlikely to vote for Trump after he was found guilty. More than 50% did not change their opinion and 35% said that, after the North American court’s decision, they are more likely to vote for the former leader.
In the same sense, another YouGov survey reveals that the percentage of Republicans who are comfortable voting for a person guilty of crimes increased considerably, from 17% in April, to 58% in June.
For Larry Hogan, the accounts become even more complicated to manage as he is running in a predominantly Democratic area.
The reform of Democratic Senator Ben Cardin opened the door to an extremely close election, between Democratic candidate Angela Alsobrooks and Hogan. Despite being popular as a former conservative governor, the state of Maryland is very close to Washington DC and tends to follow the national trend. But this means that, to win a seat in the Senate, Hogan needs the support of all Republicans in the region and a good portion of Democrats.
In April, the Republican said, in an interview with Associated Press, that his candidacy “does not want to alienate Trump’s voters†. “We need your supporters. And we need a lot of Biden supporters. Maryland is difficult,†he admitted.
Last Friday, he only asked that “all Americans respect the verdict and the legal process†. “At this dangerous and divisive moment in our history, all leaders – regardless of their party – must avoid adding fuel to the flames with more toxic partisanship. We must reaffirm what made this nation great: the Rule of Law,” he stressed.
Donald Trump after being found guilty
Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images
Republican Senator Steve Daines of Montana argued that Trump’s trial was “a scandal,” but did not want to ostracize or undermine Hogan. “He is running in Maryland, not Mississippi,†he said, quoted by the New York Times, alluding to conservative states where practically any Republican would easily win.
But Daines’s opinion is really a minority. In addition to Lara Trump and Michael Whatley, thousands of ultraconservatives insulted and criticized Hogan, calling him a “traitor†, and television stations such as Fox News and Newsmax (which have defended the former President) broadcast segments in which they condemned Larry Hogan.
According to the New York TimesHogan’s campaign stated that the RNC has not yet contacted or officially announced that it would stop funding the former governor’s candidacy.
