Former Gov. Larry Hogan announces he will run in 2024 Maryland Senate election

WASHINGTON — Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Friday that he will be running for U.S. Senate for Maryland.

Hogan, a Republican, joins a competitive field of candidates looking to fill the seat that will be left open after Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., retires at the end of his third term this year. Politico first reported on Hogan's move.

“We desperately need leaders willing to stand up to both parties - leaders that appreciate that no one of us has all the answers or all the power, because this is not just about the differences between the right and the left. This is about the difference between right and wrong,” Hogan, an anti-Trump Republican, said in a video clip shared to X, formerly Twitter.

Hogan pointed to how his father was the first Republican to vote for the impeachment of former President Richard Nixon, and noted that “that kind of leadership” and willingness to put country over party has become “far too rare” in Washington.

Hogan served as governor of Maryland from 2015 to 2023. There was speculation that he would launch a presidential bid after he stepped down from the board of the third-party movement No Labels. However, he endorsed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley last month.

“I believe that Nikki Haley's the strongest chance for us to put forth our best possible candidate for November,” Hogan said on CNN’s State of the Union.

Flipping the Senate seat could be a challenge for Hogan since Maryland hasn't had a Republican senator since 1987.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Larry Hogan running in 2024 Maryland Senate race: What to know