Republican Larry Hogan planned to hold a fundraiser this week with Bob Hugin, a former Big Pharma executive known for jacking up the price of a lifesaving cancer drug, until he was called out by the New Jersey Globe. Hogan’s campaign suspiciously removed the event with Hugin from its fundraising page hours after the New Jersey Globe story was published.
Hogan has a history of caving to Big Pharma:
- In 2017, Hogan refused to sign legislation cracking down on pharmaceutical companies that unfairly hike drug prices.
- In 2019, Hogan refused to sign legislation that aimed to lower drug costs for state and local government employees.
- In 2020, Hogan vetoed legislation that would have funded a state board charged with lowering the high cost of prescription drugs.
- In 2021, Hogan opposed the Build Back Better Act, which would have reduced drug prices for millions of Americans.
“Republican Larry Hogan can’t hide from his long track record of putting his Big Pharma donors before Marylanders in need of life-saving medications. If elected to the Senate, Hogan could give Republicans the 51st seat they need to make it easier for Big Pharma to rip off patients,” said Maryland Democratic Party Spokesperson Lindsay Reilly.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT.
New Jersey Globe: “Hugin fundraiser for Hogan in Maryland leads to new criticism of cancer drug prices” (8/6/24)
By David Wildstein
- New Jersey Republican State Chairman Bob Hugin will headline a high-dollar fundraiser for former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s U.S. Senate campaign in Ocean City.
- Hugin faced intense criticism over his leadership of Celgene, a pharmaceutical company that doubled the price of a life-saving cancer drug on his watch and blocked efforts to create a less expensive generic version.
- “It’s no surprise that Larry Hogan is raising money with Bob Hugin, who is best known for getting rich ripping off cancer patients as a pharmaceutical executive, fighting against women’s rights at Princeton University, and donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to the group behind Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation,” said Jackie Bush, deputy communications director for Angela Alsobrooks. “Bob Hugin is counting on Larry Hogan to give Republicans a majority in the Senate and pass their extreme agenda.”
- Last week, Hugin hosted a fundraiser for Dave McCormick, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania.
- Hugin once had strong ties to Donald Trump. He was a Trump delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention, gave $100,000 to a super PAC backing Trump, $5,200 directly to the Trump campaigns, and $150,000 to the Republican National Committee in the 2016 cycle.
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