ARUNDEL MILLS, Md. Larry Hogan wants you to know that hell work with Democrats . Hes done it for eight years as a moderate blue-state Republican governor. And hell do it again if you let him. In perhaps some other capacity. That hes not ready to discuss. Until early next year.

I dont really want to give any long, boring political speech because were going to have a good time, Hogan told a crowd of 1,700 mostly very dressed-up supporters in a snazzy event hall at the Maryland Live! hotel and casino, where one of Hogans PACs, An America United, threw a party Wednesday with the ostensible aim of celebrating Hogans tenure as governor.

Hogan, as was mentioned frequently throughout the evening, is the only Republican ever reelected to the governorship throughout Marylands long history of rarely electing Republicans . Expect to hear that stat a lot more in the coming months.

But I understand there has been some speculation about my future, Hogan continued to a rising wooooooo from the audience. Im not going to be making any announcements tonight. My apologies to the media in the back of the room. But I think you all know that I care very deeply about this country. Ive never been more concerned about the direction of our nation. What I can tell you tonight is that I am not about to give up on the Republican Party , or on America.

On the right, only Donald Trump has announced his candidacy for president in 2024. But sometime soon Hogan told reporters to expect an update once he leaves office in January more than a dozen speculative Republicans will be making the decision about whether to officially enter the race against Trump. In the meantime, Hogan is making a show of huddling with high-profile supporters and has launched a few federal fundraising PAC, A Better Path Forward. His entire event was a preview of his prospective pitch: Heres a moderate governor who has worked with Democrats to actually do things like lower taxes and create jobs (a record that will be scrutinized more closely should he run) and who, not inconsequentially, will happily tear into Trump.

On the one hand, its so disgraceful, and more people should be speaking up, Hogan said after reporters asked him about the latest horrifying news out of Mar-a-Lago: Trumps meeting with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and Ye, better known as the rapper Kanye West. On the other hand, you know, we have to stop talking about Donald Trump.

And many Republicans already have, according to Hogan, who sees Trumps once-robust base withering. There was a time when almost 90% of the primary base was supportive of Trump. Right now, its at about 30% and, in my estimation, its gonna continue to drop, he said.