Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Sunday he will not run for president in 2024, despite his vehement opposition to Donald Trump.
Mr. Hogan, a Republican, said he feared that his candidacy would only boost the former president by further crowding what is expected to be a sizable primary field.
“I didn’t want to have a pileup of a bunch of people fighting. Right now, you have Trump and [Florida Gov. Ron] DeSantis at the top of the field, they’re soaking up all the oxygen, getting all the attention,” Mr. Hogan said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “And then a whole lot of the rest of us in single digits and the more of them you have, the less chance you have for somebody rising up.”
Three GOP candidates have announced their campaigns: Mr. Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Several other Republicans, such as Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Mr. DeSantis, are also expected to run.
Mr. Trump still has wide popularity among the party’s most conservative supporters, despite some narratives otherwise. He trounced competitors this weekend in the annual Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll in a hypothetical matchup, receiving 62%, followed by Mr. DeSantis’ 20%.
Mr. Hogan said he gave the idea of running “serious consideration” but ultimately concluded he did not need the job.
“It’s mostly about the country and about the party. It was a personal decision,” the former governor said. “It was like, ‘I didn’t need that job. I didn’t need to run for another office.’ I was considering it because I thought it was public service and maybe I can make a difference.”
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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