Humiliating Hogan Beats Controlling Senate in Trumpworld
Humiliating Hogan Beats Controlling Senate in Trumpworld
The convicted former president’s team keeps torching former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan for embracing the rule of law
Donald Trump’s top aides said they would rather see Maryland Senate hopeful Larry Hogan go down in flames for not defending the first former president convicted of multiple felonies than secure control of the narrowly split Senate next year.
The messaging discipline and professionalism Trump’s campaign displayed in his third bid for the White House went out the window once Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts in the 2016 election interference case stemming from the hush money he paid porn star Stormy Daniels.
Hogan, the former Maryland governor trying to flip a Democratic seat in a state where President Joe Biden beat Trump by 30 points in 2020, drew fire from Trump’s campaign leaders after issuing a statement that Americans should respect the rule of law and let the judicial process play out in Trump’s felony conviction.
“He doesn't deserve the respect of anyone in the Republican Party at this point,” Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law and his hand-picked appointee to lead the Republican National Committee, told CNN on Sunday.
When asked if she was conceding the seat — and, effectively, control of the 51-49 Senate in the 119th Congress, just to spite Hogan — Lara Trump put the onus on the former two-term governor.
“We, of course, want to win as a party. But that is a shame,” Lara Trump said.
Hogan sparked this internecine war by calling for civility ahead of last week’s historic legal decision.
“Regardless of the result, I urge all Americans to respect the verdict and the legal process,” Hogan wrote before Trump became the first convicted felon to top the GOP’s presidential ticket, adding, “We must reaffirm what has made this nation great: the rule of law.”
The call for cooler heads to prevail pissed off Trump senior campaign advisor Chris LaCivita.
“You just ended your campaign,” LaCivita wrote online.
LaCivita did not immediately respond to requests for comment about what he meant or whether the RNC, Trump campaign, or he, personally, would work to thwart Hogan’s long shot bid.
An Emerson College poll from before Trump became a convicted felon showed Democratic Senate hopeful Angela Alsobrooks had a 10-point lead on Hogan.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who soured on Trump after the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, siege at the U.S. Capitol, said he helped recruit Hogan to run for retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin’s open seat. “To be competitive in a blue state like that is quite a boost for us,” the Kentucky Republican told The Hill.
Sen. Steve Daines, who is running Senate Republicans’ campaign arm this cycle and has endorsed Trump’s comeback bid, tried staying as neutral as possible in this fight.
“Larry Hogan is gonna run his campaign … President Trump will run his race,” the Montana Republican told Fox News as tensions boiled over.
Stick to the script
Pro-law comments aside, Hogan’s biggest sin in all this may be what he didn’t say.
Unlike many of the Senate GOP hopefuls vying to flip seats in 2024 battleground states like Arizona, Ohio, and Michigan, Hogan has yet to join the chorus of fiscal conservatives clamoring for contributions to the Trump campaign.
“This trial was a sham,” Sen. Daines added to the cut-and-paste fundraising plea that’s flooded social media since the guilty verdicts came down.
“He's always had our backs. It’s never been more important to have his. Donate To Trump,” wrote Arizona Senate hopeful Kari Lake.
“The verdict that matters will come on November 5th,” Ohio Senate hopeful Bernie Moreno wrote in his online pitch.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, who is basically a lock to flip retiring Sen. Joe Manchin’s seat this fall, called the convictions “deeply troubling” and a “politicized decision” in his back-to-back fundraising posts.
Montana Senate hopeful Tim Sheehy called the trial “rigged” — and asked for money.
Michigan Senate hopeful Mike Rogers decried the “weaponization of the Justice system” — and asked for money.
Wisconsin Senate hopeful Eric Hovde led off by bemoaning Trump’s conviction as “political theater” in a video post.
Someone must have gotten ahold of him and pointed out that sending thoughts and prayers is cute but cash is king, because he quickly followed up with a fundraising appeal.
“We must stand together,” Hovde wrote.