After months of deliberation, Gov. Larry Hogan announced he will not challenge President Trump in 2020 – but will instead set his sights on a much different cause.
Hogan said Saturday that rather than taking steps towards presidential candidacy, he will launch a national nonprofit advocacy group called “An America United,” according to The Baltimore Sun.
“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,” Hogan said in a statement. “However, I will not be a candidate.”
The organization, Hogan said, would support “fiscal responsibility,” “environmental protection” and “bipartisan, common-sense solutions to create more and better jobs.”
In April, Hogan seemed to be taking definitive steps towards presidency. After traveling to a speaker series in New Hampshire, Hogan shared with the crowd that he planned on traveling to 16 states to gauge voters’ feelings.
Now, Hogan said he has decided to focus on his second term as governor and his upcoming role as the chairman of the National Governors Association.
Though not running for president, Hogan still wishes to alter national politics. He told the Sun he hopes to end “partisan gridlock” – something he has been working on in Maryland as a Republican governor in a blue state.
“I […] want to play a major national role in the years ahead,” Hogan said, “both within my own party and in the path our country takes.”
