Although he’s decided not to seek the GOP presidential nomination, former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has plenty of advice on who shouldn’t be a candidate.
Hogan told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that Ohio businessman and political outsider Vivek Ramaswamy “shouldn’t be running for president.
Why? Hogan, who has positioned himself as part of the GOP’s moderate wing but is viewed as a Republican in Name Only (RINO) by many conservatives, says Ramaswamy is a “cheerleader” and a “fill-in” for former President Donald Trump — whom Hogan despises.
“He shouldn’t be running for president, he should, you know, he obviously is trying to apply for a job for Trump,” Hogan said.
“But if you’re in there running for vice president, or you’re trying to be a Cabinet secretary, or you’re trying to become famous, or write a book or get on television, you should get the heck out of the race,” the former governor added.
Ramaswamy has routinely lauded Trump, the far and-away front-runner in a crowded field of Republican presidential candidates. But Ramaswamy, the youngest candidate in the contest and Trump’s junior by nearly 40 years, has said he wants to take Trump’s “America First” principles to the next level.
He’s repeatedly said that he’s running for president, not vice president or another cabinet position, because he wants to lead a “revolution” in conservative politics.
Hogan serves as national co-chairman of No Labels, pushing an alternative to Trump and President Joe Biden in 2024. The group is an ostensibly non-partisan advocacy organization that attempts to foster bipartisan legislative efforts in government, according to Influence Watch. But the players leading No Labels have raised concerns about a left lean. The organization was founded by long-time Democratic operative Nancy Jacobson. She decided to “establish her own nonprofit after the 2010 midterm elections when Tea Party-aligned Republicans won numerous Congressional elections. Jacobson considered to be a radical ideological shift for the Republican Party.”
While Hogan previously said he would not seek the Republican Party presidential nomination, he told“Face the Nation’s” Robert Costa he hasn’t ruled out a run on a No Labels ticket.
For now, Hogan is encouraging certain Republicans to drop out of the race.
“If you don’t make the debate stage, you likely should consider getting out,” he told Costa, “If you’re on the debate stage … if you’re unwilling to challenge Donald Trump, you should get off the stage.”
But Ramaswamy is running third nationally in the Trump-dominated contest. The latest RealClearPolitics national average of Republican presidential primary polls shows Ramaswamy with 7 percent support, behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (14.8 percent) and Trump (53.4 percent).
The biotech entrepreneur is not only making the debate stage but at this point, he will be prominently positioned for the next debate late this month at the Ronald Reagan Library in California.
Ramaswamy on Tuesday noted the growing fundraising success of a campaign that the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur has abundantly self-funded
“This is a grassroots uprising. 100k *unique* small-dollar donations. Average donation is $35 & more than *40%* of our donors are first-ever donors to the GOP in any form, compared to ~2% for traditional Republican candidates. Revolution over reform,” he wrote on his X account, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
This is a grassroots uprising. 100k *unique* small-dollar donations. Average donation is $35 & more than *40%* of our donors are first-ever donors to the GOP in any form, compared to ~2% for traditional Republican candidates. Revolution over reform. pic.twitter.com/zIV5U94PQv
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) September 5, 2023
Ramaswamy’s campaign did not return a request for comment.
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M.D. Kittle is the National Political Editor for The Star News Network.
Photo “Larry Hogan” by Larry Hogan. Photo “Vivek Ramaswamy” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
