Hogan Blames Trump for Republican Losses in Maryland
by
Wcbm
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, said Republican losses in Howard and Anne Arundel counties were a ‘repudiation” of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Gov. Larry Hogan relished in his victory a day after winning re-election, but blamed President Donald Trump for the losses of some of his fellow Republicans in other Maryland races.
“It was a tough night,” Hogan told reporters at a press conference at the State House in Annapolis on Wednesday.
“We had President Trump say the election should be about him even though he is not on the ballot and in Maryland that is exactly what happened,” said Hogan, who won his race against Ben Jealous with 56 percent of the vote. “It was a repudiation of the president who lost this state by 30 points. People came out and expressed their frustration.”
Despite being from the same party as Trump, Hogan has gone to great lengths to separate himself from the president. Hogan avoids talking about national politics and has opposed some of Trump’s policies, although Democrats often argue he waits too long or doesn’t take strong enough stances.
Hogan was not among those who Trump called to congratulate on Tuesday night.
Hogan said he won because he has governed in a bipartisan manner and voters like the direction Maryland is heading. He remained coy about his plans for the next four years, saying he’s “got some time” until the General Assembly’s next legislative session starts in January. He said he will focus on the same things he worked on during his first time like cutting taxes, creating jobs and investing more money into infrastructure projects.
Making Maryland’s public school systems more accountable and addressing environmental issues affecting the Chesapeake Bay were some of the other issues Hogan mentioned. He also said he is hopeful Democratic lawmakers will be more willing to work with him on redistricting reform now that they know he will still be in power.
“There will be no change of direction,” Hogan said. “The people of Maryland voted overwhelmingly to keep moving in the same direction so that’s what they’re going to get.”
The state will also continue to support crime reduction efforts in Baltimore City, Hogan said. He criticized Mayor Catherine Pugh, saying she still needs to provide a crime reduction plan and hire a new police commissioner.
“We are going to keep providing all of the backup and support that we can but we need more leadership in the city from the mayor and we need a police commissioner that stays there more than a few months,” Hogan said. “We have had five of them since I have been governor.
