Anonymous wrote:I am a lifelong democrat, and voted for Larry Hogan twice for Governor. And there is absolutely no way I will vote for him for Senate. Not because I don't like him, o0r think he would do a bad job, but because if he wins, it gives increased power to Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Ron Johnson, Josh Hawley, and the rest of the far right brigade of the Senate. My vote will not be used to support a potential GOP Senate Majority, and that is far, far more important than my personal feelings about an individual candidate.

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Anonymous wrote:No thanks. He oversaw a stagnant economy in Maryland and that is not what we need here.

https://apnews.com/article/economic-analysis-maryland-3a7684772572a32fe9096324c3ed0db7

FYI:

Dems aren't known for their business friendly policies, in case you were thinking of voting for a Dem.

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Anonymous wrote:So interesting to read some of these threads. So many people who want to break the MAGA stronghold in Republican party, yet won’t vote to see that happen.

Because he won't do anything to stop them. Once in office, he will step in line with the GOP (ie MAGA) votes. Will be break a filibuster for DC sttehood? No. Will be vote to ensure a woman's right to choose? No. Will he support sensible gun safety laws? No.

So let's get real about what supporting "independent minded" Hogan will really mean.

Serious question... what MAGA vote has there ever been in the Senate? There is a small minority of Senators who are MAGA, and the only Senate vote that I can remember that supported Trump was the tax package. Refresh my memory.

I can guarantee you that if the Republican side of the Senate was MAGA, Mitch McConnell would not be Minority Leader (or Majority Leader).

Ted Cruz is agitating to replace McConnell, so...

It’s not going to be Cruz, though. Literally no one likes him.

I don’t think people like Mike Johnson, either.

It will be whoever Trump endorses.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So interesting to read some of these threads. So many people who want to break the MAGA stronghold in Republican party, yet won’t vote to see that happen.

Because he won't do anything to stop them. Once in office, he will step in line with the GOP (ie MAGA) votes. Will be break a filibuster for DC sttehood? No. Will be vote to ensure a woman's right to choose? No. Will he support sensible gun safety laws? No.

So let's get real about what supporting "independent minded" Hogan will really mean.

Serious question... what MAGA vote has there ever been in the Senate? There is a small minority of Senators who are MAGA, and the only Senate vote that I can remember that supported Trump was the tax package. Refresh my memory.

I can guarantee you that if the Republican side of the Senate was MAGA, Mitch McConnell would not be Minority Leader (or Majority Leader).

Ted Cruz is agitating to replace McConnell, so...

It’s not going to be Cruz, though. Literally no one likes him.

Anonymous wrote:I wish he would run for President

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Anonymous wrote:I am a lifelong democrat, and voted for Larry Hogan twice for Governor. And there is absolutely no way I will vote for him for Senate. Not because I don't like him, o0r think he would do a bad job, but because if he wins, it gives increased power to Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Ron Johnson, Josh Hawley, and the rest of the far right brigade of the Senate. My vote will not be used to support a potential GOP Senate Majority, and that is far, far more important than my personal feelings about an individual candidate.

But Hogan actually spoke up against Trump. We need to break up the MAGA stranglehold on the Republicans.

Sort or, and ineffectively. But more impotantly, that does not address, at all, the concerns raised above - that voting for Hogan helps the GOP get a Senate majority. You like Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett? You excited about a nationwide abortion ban? Think the country needs more corporate tax cuts, combined with further erosion of the social safety net? Hogan is your guy.

My dream is that if Hogan gets elected, right after he is sworn in, he would change his affiliation to Independent and caucus with the Democrats! Bombshell of the century!

He won't do that. He's as Republican as Republican can be. The only reasons he has a reputation as a "moderate" are:

1. He opposes Trump in meaningless ways, like voting for Ronald Reagan for president in 2020
2. The Democratic supermajority in the General Assembly blocked him from doing many of the things he would otherwise have done

UM, how would you have had him oppose Trump in a 'meaningful way'? Unbelievable the lack of basic appreciation for Republicans who spoke out/speak out against Trump.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So interesting to read some of these threads. So many people who want to break the MAGA stronghold in Republican party, yet won’t vote to see that happen.

Because he won't do anything to stop them. Once in office, he will step in line with the GOP (ie MAGA) votes. Will be break a filibuster for DC sttehood? No. Will be vote to ensure a woman's right to choose? No. Will he support sensible gun safety laws? No.

So let's get real about what supporting "independent minded" Hogan will really mean.

Serious question... what MAGA vote has there ever been in the Senate? There is a small minority of Senators who are MAGA, and the only Senate vote that I can remember that supported Trump was the tax package. Refresh my memory.

I can guarantee you that if the Republican side of the Senate was MAGA, Mitch McConnell would not be Minority Leader (or Majority Leader).

Ted Cruz is agitating to replace McConnell, so...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So interesting to read some of these threads. So many people who want to break the MAGA stronghold in Republican party, yet won’t vote to see that happen.

Because he won't do anything to stop them. Once in office, he will step in line with the GOP (ie MAGA) votes. Will be break a filibuster for DC sttehood? No. Will be vote to ensure a woman's right to choose? No. Will he support sensible gun safety laws? No.

So let's get real about what supporting "independent minded" Hogan will really mean.

Serious question... what MAGA vote has there ever been in the Senate? There is a small minority of Senators who are MAGA, and the only Senate vote that I can remember that supported Trump was the tax package. Refresh my memory.

I can guarantee you that if the Republican side of the Senate was MAGA, Mitch McConnell would not be Minority Leader (or Majority Leader).

McConnell won’t be leader if Rs take back the Senate. Look at the last debacle on Immigration & Ukraine. Mitch is dead man walking.

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Anonymous wrote:I am a lifelong democrat, and voted for Larry Hogan twice for Governor. And there is absolutely no way I will vote for him for Senate. Not because I don't like him, o0r think he would do a bad job, but because if he wins, it gives increased power to Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Ron Johnson, Josh Hawley, and the rest of the far right brigade of the Senate. My vote will not be used to support a potential GOP Senate Majority, and that is far, far more important than my personal feelings about an individual candidate.

But Hogan actually spoke up against Trump. We need to break up the MAGA stranglehold on the Republicans.

Sort or, and ineffectively. But more impotantly, that does not address, at all, the concerns raised above - that voting for Hogan helps the GOP get a Senate majority. You like Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett? You excited about a nationwide abortion ban? Think the country needs more corporate tax cuts, combined with further erosion of the social safety net? Hogan is your guy.

My dream is that if Hogan gets elected, right after he is sworn in, he would change his affiliation to Independent and caucus with the Democrats! Bombshell of the century!

He won't do that. He's as Republican as Republican can be. The only reasons he has a reputation as a "moderate" are:

1. He opposes Trump in meaningless ways, like voting for Ronald Reagan for president in 2020
2. The Democratic supermajority in the General Assembly blocked him from doing many of the things he would otherwise have done

He called up the Maryland National Guard on 1/6 so they could be sent in as soon as he was given approval.
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/baltimore/news/gov-hogan-recounts-harrowing-call-from-lawmakers-capitol-riot-jan-6-maryland/

He took COVID seriously.

He has consistently spoken out publicly against Trump and his MAGA policies.

I understand you disagree with him on some important issues. I disagree with the Democrats on some important issues, but I still voted a straight Democratic ticket last election because I feel that at this crisis point, the normal issues (however important) all come second to preserving a free country where we can vote on the issues in future elections.

We need more than one viable political party (even if it’s the one you support). Frankly, I think it would be healthier to have many competitive parties, but we at least need 2 to provide balance.

We need to get Republicans into office who will have the integrity to speak out against this madness. If the Democrats in congress are the only ones denouncing Trump, Green, Cruz, etc., it will further divide the country. We’ve already lost Cheney and Kinzinger, but having their voices on the Jan 6 committee was important, and I think it made a difference. I know I’d been working on my own parents who were Trump supporters for years, but it was those hearings that finally broke through, and I don’t think it would have happened if they had thought it was just Democrats going after Republicans.

I’m willing to do what needs to be done to protect democracy. I think too much of our problem is politicians (and voters) putting party first. We can no longer afford that luxury. It’s no longer a question of who will steer the country in the right direction, it’s a question of just keeping it from sinking.

Even if you vote against Hogan in the general election, you might consider changing your primary registration to vote for Hogan, especially if (like me) you’re registered Independent and thus would otherwise be ineligible to vote in the Senate primary. The MAGA cult has all the Republicans intimidated with the threat of being primaried out. Let’s show them that they can be defeated in the primaries by someone who doesn’t bow down to Trump.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So interesting to read some of these threads. So many people who want to break the MAGA stronghold in Republican party, yet won’t vote to see that happen.

Because he won't do anything to stop them. Once in office, he will step in line with the GOP (ie MAGA) votes. Will be break a filibuster for DC sttehood? No. Will be vote to ensure a woman's right to choose? No. Will he support sensible gun safety laws? No.

So let's get real about what supporting "independent minded" Hogan will really mean.

Serious question... what MAGA vote has there ever been in the Senate? There is a small minority of Senators who are MAGA, and the only Senate vote that I can remember that supported Trump was the tax package. Refresh my memory.

I can guarantee you that if the Republican side of the Senate was MAGA, Mitch McConnell would not be Minority Leader (or Majority Leader).