Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller Warns Marylanders About the Threat Republican Larry Hogan Poses to Abortion Rights

In an op-ed published by the Baltimore Sun, Maryland Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller outlines the real threat Republican Larry Hogan poses to reproductive freedom. Miller calls out Hogan’s “extensive record opposing abortion rights” and how, if elected, Hogan could be the 51st seat Republicans need to control the U.S. Senate and push forward an extreme agenda that includes banning abortion nationwide.

“As a former state legislator and now lieutenant governor, I’ve had a front-row seat to Hogan’s extensive record opposing abortion rights,” Lieutenant Governor Miller wrote. “With control of the U.S. Senate on the line, Marylanders need to know that we will very likely determine whether we have a Democratic-led Senate that’ll protect abortion rights and freedoms — or a Republican majority that won’t.”

Read Lieutenant Governor Miller’s op-ed in full below.

Baltimore Sun: Abortion Rights Won’t Be Safe with Hogan in the Senate

By Maryland Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller

August 25, 2024

Two years ago, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion and opening the floodgates to a patchwork of abortion restrictions across the United States.

Now, in Maryland, abortion rights are on the ballot. I’m not just talking about this November’s ballot initiative that would enshrine reproductive freedom into the Maryland state constitution.

I’m also talking about the candidacy of Republican Larry Hogan for U.S. Senate.

As a former state legislator and now lieutenant governor, I’ve had a front-row seat to Hogan’s extensive record opposing abortion rights. With control of the U.S. Senate on the line, Marylanders need to know that we will very likely determine whether we have a Democratic-led Senate that’ll protect abortion rights and freedoms — or a Republican majority that won’t.

If elected to the Senate, Hogan would almost certainly turn control of the Senate over to Republicans.

That’s why Mitch McConnell personally recruited Hogan. And that’s why Donald Trump endorsed Hogan — who’s promised to caucus with Republicans — just hours after meeting with Republican senators to discuss retaking power in Washington. It’s also why the National Republican Senatorial Committee — an organization that describes itself as being “solely devoted to strengthening the Republican Senate Majority” — is bankrolling Hogan’s campaign. They all share a common mission: give Republicans control of the Senate, and consequently, the agenda. Don’t take my word for it. McConnell explicitly said he needs Hogan in Washington “to set the agenda.”

Make no mistake: That agenda includes dismantling abortion rights and freedoms.

For decades, Republican politicians worked to crack down on abortion and pack the courts with extreme, anti-abortion-rights judges — ultimately leading to the fall of Roe two years ago and a cascade of abortion bans in nearly half of all states since.

Extremist Republicans have made clear they want to go further to ban abortion nationwide.

In March, the Republican Study Committee — which represents 80% of House Republicans and all of House Republican Leadership — released a budget that endorses a national abortion ban with zero exceptions for rape or incest.

McConnell himself said in 2022 that a national abortion ban is “possible” if Roe fell.

What McConnell needs is a Republican Senate majority, which is all but guaranteed if Larry Hogan wins Maryland’s open U.S. Senate seat.

Hogan has shown Marylanders time and again that he won’t protect abortion rights. In 2022, Hogan vetoed legislation to expand abortion access in Maryland. When the legislature overrode his veto, Hogan refused to release $3.5 million in state funds budgeted by the bill to train abortion providers. The funds were released by Governor Wes Moore and me on Day 1.

Now, as a candidate for Senate, Hogan called this November’s ballot initiative enshrining abortion rights into the Maryland Constitution not “really necessary.” At a time when we’ve seen partisan judges uphold draconian anti-abortion laws, Hogan won’t commit to opposing judicial nominees hostile to reproductive rights.

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks is a staunch advocate for abortion rights. In addition to promising to oppose any judicial nominee who doesn’t support reproductive freedom, Alsobrooks has committed to defending Planned Parenthood and signing onto legislation opposed by Hogan to guarantee abortion rights nationwide.

November’s election is about control of the U.S. Senate and whether Republicans will have the majority they need to enact an anti-abortion-rights agenda.

Voting for Hogan means voting for a Republican takeover of Washington, and a rollback on our freedoms.

The circumstances of this election, coupled with Hogan’s anti-abortion rights record, disqualify him from representing us in the Senate.

I hope you will join me in defending abortion rights by voting yes on the Maryland Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment — and by voting for the only real pro-choice U.S. Senate candidate in Maryland, Democrat Angela Alsobrooks.