ANNAPOLIS (WMAR) — Could Gov. Larry Hogan run against incumbent President Donald Trump in 2020? The New York Times and CNN suggest that could be possible. The news comes as an ABC/Washington Post poll finds President Trump's approval rating fell by 8 points during the government shutdown. Still, CNN reports that last week, the Republican National Committee formally kicked off the 2020 campaign season by bestowing President Trump with its "undivided support."
But there's an expectation that someone will join the race and CNN reports that one name that came up repeatedly in conversations with committee members was Gov. Larry Hogan. A moderate Republican in a blue state, Hogan has also become one of the rare Republican lawmakers to criticize the president.
A New York Times article posted Saturday also lays out Hogan as a potential primary opponent, citing conversations he had while at a conference at a right-of-center think tank in December. The Niskanen Center president Jerry Taylor said in a statement, “Governor Hogan has openly expressed his unhappiness with what he sees happening to both the GOP and the country. As such, he has told us in private what he has also repeated publicly: that he has not shut the door on a GOP primary challenge against Donald Trump in 2020–but neither has he decided to walk through that door as of yet.”
The Hogan administration has not responded to requests for a comment. The New York Times reports Hogan is set to meet with a Trump critic and a Republican strategist to determine how they may proceed but as of now, there haven't been any indications of concrete steps toward a primary bid.
This as Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) formally launched her president campaign in Oakland, California today.
"I stand before you today, clear eyed about the fight ahead and what has to be done," Harris said.
A CNN reporter also says Hillary Clinton may not be ready to give up her oval office dreams, citing her close friends who say she's not closing the doors on the idea of running in 2020.
