His sky-high popularity didn’t boost the rest of the state’s Republican Party, which suffered consistent down-ballot losses during his two terms — by moderates and by Trump-style firebrands. His handpicked successor lost a primary this year to a backbench freshman state delegate. After a bruising Election Day, party leaders say there’s no robust bench to build the Maryland GOP back up.
Great question: what’s the legacy of a unicorn Republican two term governor of the state of Maryland?
Not much. This piece covers party politics, where his self-focus did little to build his political party.
With a huge Democratic majority legislature, did he pass any laws? Taxes aren’t lower. Oh, he gave the go ahead to the seemingly eternal construction of the purple line light rail service between Bethesda and New Carrollton. Including a contractor who quit in the middle of the job. Leaving the project stuck in place for years. With torn up roads in Riverdale, College Park, and Silver Spring still reminding us of Hogan’s Folly. No Hero he.
I posted this question on Facebook and the best response I got was that his legacy is his pandemic response and his opposition to President Trump. That’s exactly correct and it is why he has failed as a Republican governor. He acted no differently than his Democratic Party counterparts did in adjacent Pennsylvania and Virginia. The absolute trouncing his anointed successor received in the gubernatorial primary is evidence that he completely lost the base in his own state. Yet, he refused to put his supposed cross party appeal on the line when he turned down the opportunity to challenge a sitting Democrat U.S. Senator or perhaps challenge an incumbent Democrat congressman. Both chances when he could have bolstered Republicans in Washington, DC.
Look for Hogan to make millions of dollars now. Because it’s all about him.
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