“Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) plans to announce that he will not run for the U.S. Senate, rebuffing an aggressive recruitment push from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans who saw the term-limited governor as the GOP’s best chance to win in the deep-blue state,” the AP reports.
“The governor’s decision, while not totally unexpected, marks a setback in the Republican Party’s broader fight to seize the Senate majority this fall. Given his popularity, the 65-year-old Republican, a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump, would have instantly become a legitimate contender against Democratic incumbent Sen. Chris Van Hollen — even in a state Trump lost by 32 percentage points in 2020.”

