As an anti-MAGA Republican, I rarely support the overwhelming majority of Republican political candidates in ongoing general elections. This is because instead of choosing country over party, these candidates have selfishly bent the knee to former President Donald Trump for their own personal gain, even when it is immoral to do so.
However, one of the reasons I am supporting former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in this November’s Maryland Senate race is because of how different he is from most Republicans. For example, if elected to the Senate, Hogan, who is a strong believer in bipartisanship, has promised to address rampant crime by preventing heinous criminals from gaining possession of firearms at a federal level. This is quite notable considering that even though Republicans claim to be “tough on crime,” they are just contradicting themselves when many Republicans oppose gun control measures.
Not only that, when Trump was the Republican nominee in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections and began solidifying his dominance within the Republican party, Hogan did not endorse or vote for Trump. More recently, as the former governor launched his campaign for the Senate, Hogan continued to stand against Trump, even when Trump endorsed him for the Senate. This shows that even when Trump tries to be courteous to Hogan and gain his support, Hogan isn’t hesitant to rebuke him.
In addition, Hogan’s Senate campaign recently released a new commercial detailing the intensity of the attack on the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, during which Trump abused his power as president to treasonously plan and execute. Regardless of political beliefs, it is without a doubt that based on the events of Jan. 6, Trump is a threat to our democracy. If former Vice President Mike Pence hadn’t certified the 2020 election results that day, Trump would unconstitutionally still be president today, refusing to leave the White House.
The former governor has also maintained his criticism of Trump for warming up to Vladimir Putin and being anti-Ukraine. As a Republican, I completely disagree with Trump about Ukraine. If this isn’t bad enough, Trump has influenced far-right and pro-Trump congressional members to choose partisanship over unity. Recently, Trump has blamed Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the Russian invasion of Ukraine more than Putin, the president of Russia. The U.S. should unequivocally support Ukraine because it is not only the morally right thing to do, but defending Ukraine will provide a clear message to our adversaries — like Russia and China — that we will not stand for their antics.
In today’s highly partisan political climate, with the next U.S. President being either Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris, candidates like Hogan are desperately needed in the Senate, as the presidential nominees both have extremely partisan political ideologies.
For instance, when it comes to environmental policy, Trump believes climate change is a “hoax.” On the other hand, during her time as a U.S. senator in the state of California, Harris promoted the Green New Deal, which included a total ban on carbon dioxide emissions. At the end of the day, climate change should be recognized by lawmakers as a serious issue, but fossil fuels should not be banned due to the drastic economic repercussions. As an alternative, an “all-of-the-above energy policy” should be executed. One specific policy is the bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Hogan was instrumental in crafting.
According to Nicole Huffman, a political science Ph.D. candidate at Stony Brook University and lecturer for POL 323 (U.S. Congress), “Senators hold a great deal of power over whether a bill becomes a law. The modern Senate has emerged as a filter of legislation. Unlike in the House, a single senator can block legislation on any topic through the use of the filibuster and holds. Senators also have more powers to check the executive branch. Unlike the House, Senators have the power to confirm or reject high-level executive appointees and Supreme Court Justices.”
Consequently, Hogan should be elected Maryland’s next senator because he could very well be the final decision maker in confirming Supreme Court Justices recommended by the president — who will be appointed for life — as well as approving key policies and confirming executive branch officials. These Supreme Court Justices and federal policies will impact not only Maryland but the entire country. As it is, a lot of people well-versed in the political field, such as current President Joseph R. Biden, believe that his successor will be appointing at least two Supreme Court Justices. Moreover, out of the very few centrist senators, three of them will be retiring in January 2025. Since, if elected president, Harris or Trump will likely be leading partisan presidential administrations, having a senator who isn’t afraid to call out both Democrats and Republicans is more important than ever.
