Larry Hogan: “I may have to be Choice C” in the 2024 presidential race

He said he’s not running but… It’s always the but that gets you. In this case we are talking about former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. He’s a liberal Republican who was popular in his very blue state. He served as the governor of Maryland from 2015 to 2023. Sunday he said that he just may have to run as “Choice C” in the 2024, a third-party candidate.

Hogan said that with 70% of voters not wanting either Trump or Biden in 2024, there just may be a shot for someone to run as a third-party candidate. Yes, of course he is open to that opportunity. He knows he can’t run in the Republican primary and win, he is a charter member of the NeverTrump club, and he is the poster boy for the uniparty, so when he was asked if he would run as a third party candidate, he admitted that if voters don’t want Candidates A or B, he could be Candidate C. Oh, brother.

If he wasn’t so obnoxious, I’d almost feel sorry for Larry Hogan. He wants so badly to be president and yet he knows it will not happen. He’s 67-years-old and when he left office, he handed the governor’s office to the Democrat running in that race. He refused to endorse the Republican candidate in that race. He called him a “QAnon whack job.” Instead of name-calling, he could have just remained neutral, but that’s not his style. He endorsed a former state lawmaker in the primary race, as was his prerogative. He hemmed and hawed before saying he wouldn’t endorse anyone in general election. That is his style – indecisive and slow to react. He milks every decision for more appearances on television with like-minded political show hosts. He is frequently on CNN and the legacy networks. They love him because he is so willing to criticize Republicans. I say he’s obnoxious because he wants to appear morally superior to the current Republican Party.

Perhaps it is genetic. His father is the only Republican Representative to vote to recommend all three House articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon in 1974. He was a Republican Congressman from 1969 to1975.

His brand of Republican is no longer viewed favorably by Republican primary voters.

When asked if he’d run on a No Labels ticket this cycle, Hogan told CNN’s State of the Union, “It’s not something that I’m considering or pursuing at all, but I totally understand the frustrations that lead to this kind of discussion. At this point in our country, 70% of the people in America do not want Joe Biden or Donald Trump to be president. And if they’re going to be the nominees, which it appears that they are, you have choice A that no one wants and choice B that no one wants.

Hogan continued by saying that “there may have to be a—” before CNN anchor Dana Bash replied: “So, you don’t want to be choice C?”

“I may have to be choice C,” he responded.

Larry Hogan is a national co-chair of No Labels. No Labels is working in all 50 states to get a viable third-party candidate in the 2024 presidential race on the ballot. He’s free to run in whatever party he wants to run in, of course, but there is no chance that he will win. He’s relatively unknown outside of Maryland. He is not a compelling personality and won’t garner the kind of support a third-party will need up against the two traditional parties. Democrats are particularly concerned about a third-party candidate in 2024.

The Editorial Board at the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed yesterday which asked the question, “Who’s afraid of a third party?” The piece notes that No Labels has “become a target of media and Democratic hostility.” Democrats claim it will deliver the election to Trump.

That’s the predicament of No Labels, a centrist group of Republicans and Democrats organizing to get a spot on the ballot in 2024 in case the major parties default to a Biden-Trump race. Democrats claim the group will elect Mr. Trump if the third party does get on the ballot. The press is piling on the disdain, digging not so deep to report that one of the donors to No Labels is Harlan Crow, the rich friend of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. But anyone who knows Mr. Crow knows he’s no fan of Mr. Trump.

No Labels has other donors, and its founder and CEO is Nancy Jacobson, the wife of Mark Penn, the former Hillary and Bill Clinton pollster. Its national co-chairs include Ben Chavis, the civil-rights legend, and Joe Lieberman, former Democratic Senator and vice presidential candidate. Former GOP Govs. Larry Hogan and Pat McCrory are also co-chairs. None are admirers of Mr. Trump.

What seems to bind them is their dislike of Trump. The problem for No Labels, or any other third-party group, is that Biden and Trump are not popular choices for voters, that is true, but nevertheless, voters will vote along party lines. Poll after poll shows that even though Democrats want another candidate and Republicans want another candidate instead of a re-do of the 2020 election, Democrats will vote for Biden and Republicans will vote for Trump, if they are the candidates. That turns out to be more problematic for Trump than Biden. Independents and women show no inclination of moving back to support Trump as they did in 2016. Without them, he can’t win. His base support is not big enough. Joe Biden needs them to win, too, and Democrats have a winning message in their pro-abortion messaging and their complaints that SCOTUS is too extreme. That messaging worked in the midterm election in 2022. They will do it again in 2024 and it will help them win again. They are already previewing that abortion will be a big part of their playbook in campaigning for Biden in 2024. Kamala and Jill are going around the country campaigning on it. Will Republicans be better prepared to respond in 2024? That’s the question.

The WSJ piece admits it’s a long shot but offers some encouraging numbers.

In today’s polarized presidential map, each major party has an advantage in states with close to 220 electoral votes. That means a third-party candidate would need to build a center-out Electoral College majority by carrying swing states like Wisconsin, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Colorado and many others. Calling this a tall order is an understatement.

Then again, No Labels says its polling shows the public is open to a third-party candidate—59% of all voters would consider a moderate independent, including 53% of Republicans and 59% of Democrats. No Labels is already on the ballot in five states and hopes to get on all 50.

We will see what happens. For now, it looks like 2024 will be a rerun of 2020. That’s a shame. Democrats are so worried about their candidate that the DNC won’t schedule debates with Biden’s challengers. RFK, Jr. polls around 20% and that could prove problematic if Kennedy stays in and refuses to endorse Biden.

Whatever else happens, Larry Hogan will not be president. He needs to accept that fact and move on with his life.