Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says he will not launch a primary challenge against President Donald Trump for the Republican Party’s 2020 presidential nomination.
“I truly appreciate all of the encouragement I received from people around the nation urging me to consider making a run for President in 2020,” Hogan tweeted Saturday. “However, I will not be a candidate.”
Hogan said that he would instead focus on his second term as governor and his upcoming role chairing the National Governors Association.
“That work is important, and I believe both of those roles will give me the opportunity to make an impact on the direction of my party and our nation,” he added.
In a Washington Post story published earlier Saturday, the governor also acknowledged that it would be difficult to overcome Trump’s popularity among most Republicans.
Hogan, a moderate Republican in a deep-blue state, told CNN earlier this year that several people had approached him about running.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld has already mounted a challenge against Trump for the GOP nomination, while on the left, so far, 23 Democrats candidates are campaigning for president.
