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 huddled to discuss 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 decided unanimously to throw 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.‘People being unfairly attacked’
Hogan’s push to support Kemp is part of the Maryland governor’s under-the-radar effort to back Republicans around the country who have stood up to Trump — including several in Congress who supported his impeachment after the Capitol riot — and faced his wrath as a result.When Trump attacks a Republican whom Hogan respects, he will see if there’s a way he can help — and make a potential ally. In addition to serving on the R.G.A. board, Hogan is a chairman of the bipartisan organization No Labels and has his own advocacy group, An America United.“There are some battles in the primaries that matter, and there are people being unfairly attacked by the former president that I want to try to help and support,” said Hogan, who recently flew to Florida for an event with the Republican Main Street Partnership, which includes more than 60 members of Congress.Hogan, who rejected a push to persuade him to run for Senate this year but is eyeing a 2024 bid for the White House, also gave a speech on Tuesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in California, where he called for the party to steer away from Trump in 2024 and blamed him for the party’s failures in recent years.How Donald J. Trump Still Looms
Grip on G.O.P.: Mr. Trump remains the most powerful figure in the Republican Party. However, there are signs his control is loosening.A Modern-Day Party Boss: Hoarding cash, doling out favors and seeking to crush rivals, Mr. Trump is behaving like the head of a 19th-century political machine.Power Struggle: Led by Senator Mitch McConnell, a band of anti-Trump Republicans is maneuvering to thwart the ex-president.Post-Presidency Profits: Mr. Trump is melding business with politics, capitalizing for personal gain.Just the Beginning: For many Trump supporters who marched on Jan. 6, the day was not a disgraced insurrection but the start of a movement.“We won’t win back the White House by nominating Donald Trump or a cheap impersonation of him,” Hogan said during the speech, adding that the Republican Party was “desperately in need of a course correction.”ImageSenator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has been targeted by Mr. Trump over her vote to convict him during his impeachment trial.Credit...Ash Adams for The New York TimesSupport for endangered impeachment backers
Hogan’s effort serves as an important test of what appetite Republicans have for someone willing to vocally stand up to Trump, who remains, overwhelmingly, the most popular and powerful figure in the Republican Party. To date, polling has shown little appetite among the Republican base for a challenge to Trump.But with his eye on supporting candidates Trump has attacked, Hogan has headlined — or will headline — fund-raisers for lawmakers like Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, who voted to convict Trump on an impeachment charge; Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler, Republican of Washington, who voted to impeach Trump; and Kemp, whom Trump has slammed as “very weak.”Hogan’s advocacy organization has begun running ads for Representative David Valadao, Republican of California, who also voted to impeach Trump after Jan. 6.Through his position at the Republican Governors Association, Hogan is supporting Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, who won his Republican primary this week after Trump had insulted him as a “terrible, terrible guy,” and Gov. Brad Little of Idaho, after the former presidentBy: Luke Broadwater
Title: Larry Hogan Takes the Fight to Trump From Within the G.O.P.
Sourced From: www.nytimes.com/2022/05/04/us/politics/larry-hogan-trump-gop.html
Published Date: Wed, 04 May 2022 23:00:05 +0000
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