Larry Hogan emphasizes his independence in a new ad and criticizes Trump’s endorsement

Republican Larry Hogan is brandishing his independence from the GOP in what marks the Maryland Senate candidate’s first ad since receiving the unwanted backing of former President Donald Trump.

“Strong, independent leaders can make a difference — that’s exactly what Washington needs today,” Hogan says in an ad released Monday. “As President Kennedy said, ‘Sometimes, party loyalty demands too much.’”

The 30-second spot seeks to draw a clear distinction between the former two-term governor and his party just days after Trump extended him a surprise endorsement that was quickly rejected by Hogan’s campaign in the battleground Senate race. Hogan is relying on his more middle-of-the-road political stances and years of cutting deals across the aisle to buoy his candidacy in the deep-blue state.

Hogan pays homage to his father, Larry Hogan Sr., in the ad for being the first House Republican to call for former President Richard Nixon’s resignation. He also recognizes the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for rebuking Republicans to save Obamacare and his own stricter approach to handling COVID-19 compared to many other GOP governors.

“Sometimes, one person can make a difference,” Hogan states.

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Democrats, including Hogan’s opponent, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, have seized on the Trump endorsement. They say it’s proof Hogan would enable a Republican-controlled Senate to rubber stamp a Trump agenda, despite his vehement disapproval of the former president and his record as a centrist GOP politician who prides himself on working with Democrats.

“[The GOP] is, in this moment, led by Donald Trump, and we are gravely concerned because we know that Larry Hogan will be voting to empower these [Senate] committee chairs that will turn America backward,” Alsobrooks told the Washington Examiner in an interview last week. “Donald Trump feels comfortable enough that he endorsed Larry Hogan, believing that he would give a majority to the Republican Party in the Senate.”