On Politics
The Maryland governor, a rare Republican who speaks out publicly against Donald Trump, is trying to defend G.O.P. lawmakers targeted by the former president.
Greetings from your co-hosts Blake Hounshell and Leah Askarinam. We have an item tonight from our colleague Luke Broadwater, who reports on an effort by Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland to push back against Donald Trump.
Late last year, the leadership of the Republican Governors Association faced a vexing question: What should the group do about conservative governors, like Brian Kemp of Georgia, who were facing relentless attacks from Donald Trump?
Gov. Larry Hogan, Republican of Maryland and a member of the committee, spoke out against any suggestion that the organization should side with Trump and pull its support from Kemp, whom the former president blames for not helping him overturn the 2020 election.
“Kemp is a friend who is a strong conservative, who supported Trump,” Hogan said in a recent interview. “He was being attacked simply for not violating the Constitution and lying and overthrowing the election.”
The Republican governors’ group threw its full support behind Kemp. So far, it has pumped $5 million into supporting the Georgia governor, flooding the state’s televisions with ads that call Kemp a “proven conservative.”
He now carries a large polling lead in the Republican primary race, well ahead of a challenger backed by Trump, former Senator David Perdue.
Advertisement