ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has decided not to run for U.S. Senate.
There had been wide speculation that the two term Governor could challenge Maryland's junior incumbent Senator Chris Van Hollen in the 2022 midterm elections.
"I sincerely appreciate the people who have been encouraging me to consider it," Hogan said Tuesday. "But as I have repeatedly said, I don't aspire to be a senator, and that fact has not changed."
🚨Just now, Governor Hogan announced he will not be a candidate for Senate in 2022. pic.twitter.com/3V0yvfROz6
— Kata Hall Burke (@katadhall) February 8, 2022
Multiple polls had Hogan leading in a potential match-up against Van Hollen, which could have helped determine the majority in the Senate.
Hogan said he's already informed Van Hollen of his decision.
"He can rest easy and get a good night’s sleep tonight," said Hogan who continues to have high approval ratings in the state.
Last October, a Goucher poll found that Hogan had a 68 percent approval rating as governor, while Van Hollen had a 44 percent approval rating.
More recently in January, a Gonzales Research poll showed Hogan with a 74 percent job approval rating.
The last time a Republican represented Maryland in the U.S. Senate was 1987, when Charles McCurdy Mathias Jr. retired.
