Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan Announces He Won't Challenge Trump In 2020

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan will not seek to challenge President Donald Trump in the 2020 Republican primary, he announced Saturday.

Hogan delivered the news in a Facebook post , just over a month after he said he was seriously considering entering the race.

“I truly appreciate all of the encouragement I received from people around the nation urging me to consider making a run for President in 2020,” he said. “However, I will not be a candidate.”

Hogan explained that instead he will focus on serving his second term, noting that he will face added responsibilities in July when be becomes the chairman of the National Governors Association, a bipartisan public policy organization of the country’s governors.

“That work is important, and I believe both of those roles will give me the opportunity to make an impact on the direction of my party and our nation,” he said.

However, Hogan still hopes to “play a major national role in the years ahead, both within my own party and in the path our country takes” through An America United, his newly launched centrist advocacy group.

A webpage for the organization says it will focus on creating jobs, lowering taxes, protecting the environment, bettering education and strengthening infrastructure.

“We can reject the extremes of both political parties, work to break partisan gridlock, and bring people together to advance bold solutions for all Americans,” Hogan said on Facebook .

Earlier on Saturday, Hogan tweeted a Washington Post article  in which he pointed to his “commitment to the 6 million people of Maryland and a lot of work to do, things we haven’t completed” as factor in his decision not to run.

At a New Hampshire political conference in April, Hogan said he was giving “serious consideration ” to challenging Trump but that he wouldn’t move forward with the idea “unless I thought there was a real path to victory.”

“I’ve said before, I’m not going to launch some kind of a suicide mission. I have a real day job that’s important to me for the people of Maryland.”

So far in the 2020 race, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld is the only major Republican to announce a possible bid to challenge Trump.