While campaign stumping at Beth Shalom Congregation and Talmud Torah in Potomac on Friday, former Maryland governor and U.S. Senate candidate Larry Hogan (R) said he unequivocally supports the state of Israel, and criticized his opponents’ calls for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
“America needs a pro-Israel champion in the United States Senate who will stand up and fight for our closest and most important ally,” Hogan told the crowd of a few dozen to loud applause.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington (JCRC) hosted Hogan as the first in its series of talks with candidates vying in the May 14 primary election for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). It was Hogan’s first major policy speech since announcing his campaign on Feb. 9.
JCRC Executive Director Ron Halber said the organization is hosting the series of talks in order for the local Jewish community to become more acquainted with their options in the upcoming election. However, Halber said that as a tax-exempt organization, the JCRC cannot and will not endorse a specific candidate. The organization plans to host talks with other leading candidates, but the dates have not yet been finalized.
There are fourteen contenders across the race, according to Federal Election Commission data, with Hogan leading in polling and largely being considered the frontrunner on the Republican side. Hogan was governor of Maryland for two terms, from 2015 to 2023. Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-Dist. 6) lead in polling and fundraising on the Democratic side.
Hogan mostly focused his remarks on the Israel-Hamas war and antisemitic hate crimes occurring across the country, but was quick to say “no” when asked by an audience member if he planned to vote for former President Donald Trump (R) in November. Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee and will face President Joe Biden in the election. However, Hogan also said he is not committed to voting for a specific candidate. The career Republican reported in 2020 that he wrote in Ronald Reagan’s name on his ballot in the presidential election.
“It’s a hard race to win as a person with an ‘R’ next to my name in a state where the guy at the top of the ticket is gonna lose points,” Hogan said, referencing Trump. “He may actually get elected, but he’s not gonna get elected in Maryland. So I’ve got to convince people that regardless of party affiliation, I’m the person that they’d like to see represent them.”
Without naming names, Hogan critically alluded to Alsobrooks and Trone, as well as sitting U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), for calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. All three politicians have also called for the release of the Israelis being held hostage by Hamas.
Around 1,200 Israelis were killed and about 250 were taken hostage when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, sparking the current war, according to published reports. According to NPR, around 130 are still being held hostage.
Hogan said Israel should not end the war until Hamas surrenders and releases all hostages.
“America needs to stand up for our allies and stand up to our enemies, and the best way to secure peace is through a strong America,” Hogan said.
NPR reported on Feb. 29 that in the days since Oct. 7 more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war and thousands of residents are unaccounted for. According to the Associated Press, around two-thirds of the Palestinians who have been killed were children and women.
The former governor said he does not “want to see death and suffering” and referenced the humanitarian crisis in Gaza resulting from the war but did not elaborate on whether he supports federal involvement in providing humanitarian aid for Palestinians.
He also touted his rejection of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement – a Palestinian-led movement that rejects economic support of businesses that support the Israeli government – and said he led investment and partnership efforts with Israeli businesses while he was governor.
Hogan said it’s important to stand firm against antisemitism, and for more government leaders to step up and take action to prevent hate crimes.
“Jews have been harassed and they feel unsafe in their schools and synagogues and everywhere they go, and these are not isolated incidents,” Hogan said. “The lessons of history are crystal clear. We must all take a stand in the face of genocidal acts.”
Hogan said he believes now is the time for “bipartisan, common sense solutions” that he believes he can bring to the Senate. He referenced his ability as governor to work across the aisle with a Maryland General Assembly dominated by the Democratic party.
“If you’re a Republican, I’m going to be a person that’s gonna stand out when I don’t agree with my party and be a voice of reason to try to get back to a more traditional Republican Party,” Hogan said. “If you’re a Democrat, you should consider sending me down [to the Capitol] because of the same reason.”