Hogan Among Most Popular Governors In U.S. In His Final Year: Survey

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Even though he is term limited and not seeking re-election in November, Gov. Larry Hogan remains one of the nation's most popular governor, according to a new survey.

Morning Consult, a global enterprise technology company, issued a survey finding that Hogan holds the third-highest approval rating in the country at 71 percent. His disapproval rating is at 22 percent, which is the second-lowest disapproval rating of any current governor in the U.S.

Hogan — a moderate Republican who received generally positive remarks for his leadership during the coronavirus pandemic and his push to get Marylanders vaccinated — has been favored by both GOP and Democratic voters for years. Several times he was No. 2 on the list behind Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, who was again named the "Most-liked governor in the United States."

In 2020, Hogan was No. 1 on the list, and several years was No. 2 for most popular state leader in the country.

Marylanders generally approve of the way Hogan handled the health crisis, with 70 percent of respondent in a March 2022 Goucher Poll approving of his actions, according to the poll.

In February and into the spring, Maryland had the lowest COVID case rate in the country, the governor said.

Political Next Steps For Hogan?

Hogan said in February he will not run for Democrat Chris Van Hollen's U.S. Senate seat this year, but is sure he could defeat Van Hollen if he entered the race.

The possibility of a presidential run in 2024 remains a possibility for the GOP governor finishing his second term, who has been popular with independents and moderate Democrats. Hogan has consistently been a critic of former President Donald Trump, noting publicly that he did not vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020.

On Feb. 13 he told "State of the Union" with Jake Tapper on CNN he has another year to serve Maryland and wants to be the very best governor he can be. But he will be vocal in urging Republicans to abandon the false claims that Trump won the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol was a peaceful demonstration.

"I've been speaking out loudly and strongly about this battle for the soul of the party. To say it's legitimate political discourse to attack the seat of our Capitol and smash windows and attack police officers and threaten to hang the vice president and threaten to overthrow the election —it's insanity," Hogan said. "The Republican Party that I want to get back to is the one that believes in freedom and truth and not one that attacks people who don't swear 100 percent fealty to the 'Dear Leader.'"

"I'm concerned about the direction of the party and the country, and I'll make a decision about 2024 after I finish this job," Hogan said.

A March 14 Associated Press story called Hogan, GOP Congresswoman Liz and Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger part of a shadow primary lining up to oppose Trump if he runs again in 2024.

Confidantes of all three Republicans expect one of them, if not more, to launch a presidential bid after the 2022 midterms. While all three are nationally known to some degree, their goal would not necessarily be to win the presidency. Above all, they want to hinder Trump’s return to the White House, at least compared with 2020, when his allies cleared the field of any Republican opponents and persuaded some states to cancel primary contests altogether, the AP said.

“There is a large and growing lane of Republicans and Americans across the political spectrum who are fed up with toxic politics and want to move in a new direction,” Hogan told the AP. “While I’m focused on finishing my term as governor strong, I’m going to continue to stand up and be a voice for getting our party and our country back on the right track.”