Annapolis, MD—It’s clear that Larry Hogan still thinks that his path to victory is running as hard as he can away from his partisan record. Hogan’s newest campaign ad ignores his history of engaging in petty politics. As an aide to GOP Governor Robert Ehrlich, Hogan earned a reputation as “hatchet man” for hunting down and firing Democrats working in state government, and as governor, Hogan has disinvited Democratic legislators from a traditionally bipartisan breakfast, and called Maryland’s teachers “thugs”.
“Maryland voters will remember that Governor Hogan made his name in Republican politics as Bob Ehrlich’s hatchet man by conducting a mass firing of Democrats working for the state government,” said Maryland Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Matthews. “Where was Governor Hogan’s so-called bipartisanship when he vetoed earned sick leave, renewable energy, and other Democratic programs that are tremendously popular with Marylanders? This is his most unbelievable hoax yet.”
Larry Hogan got his start in Republican politics decades ago as an aide to his father, Larry Hogan, Sr., who was a Republican congressman from Maryland and Prince George’s County Executive. Larry Hogan himself mounted a failed campaign for Congress in 1981, and again against Congressman Steny Hoyer in 1992.
While serving as one-term Republican Governor Bob Ehrlich’s appointments secretary, Hogan developed a reputation as Ehrlich’s “Hatchet Man” for conducting a mass firing of Democrats working in state government.
As governor, Hogan has not given up his partisanship and petty politics. After Democrats passed legislation to give more than 700,000 Marylanders access to earned sick leave, Hogan vetoed the bill, introduced his own plan, then refused to negotiate with Democrats. Hogan has also repeatedly insulted his Democratic colleagues, including refusing to invite Democratic lawmakers to an annual bipartisan breakfast, refusing to work with Democratic lawmakers on his transportation plans, and comparing Democratic legislators to children on spring break when they disagreed with him.
As recently as March, Hogan issued a thin-skinned attack against Democrats in Maryland’s congressional delegation who raised questions about his rush to lease the ground under our feet to billionaire tycoon Elon Musk’s Hyperloop.