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- Republican Gov. Larry Hogan said on Sunday that he is still working to “reclaim the soul of the party.”
- Hogan was critical of the GOP for calling the Capitol riots “legitimate political discourse.”
- He told CNN he wants the party to go back to believing in “freedom and truth.”
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that he’s concerned about the direction of the GOP and the country.
“I consider myself a common-sense conservative. I have been a lifelong Republican. I believe that that’s where most people in America are. About 70% of the people in America are completely frustrated with politics on both sides, Republicans and Democrats,” Hogan said.
Citing a recent CNN poll, Hogan added that “only 50% of the Republicans would like to see Donald Trump run again. I believe that there is a pretty large lane of sane Republicans, and they’re looking for a voice.”
Hogan was critical of the GOP calling the January 6 Capitol riots “legitimate political discourse.”
“To say it’s legitimate political discourse to attack the seat of our Capitol and smash windows and attack police officers and threaten to hang the vice president and threaten to overthrow the election—it’s insanity,” he said.
Hogan added: “There’s a circular firing squad where we attack Republicans. The Republican Party that I want to get back to is the one that believes in freedom and truth and not one that attacks people who don’t swear 100% fealty to the ‘Dear Leader.'”
The governor, who is serving out his final term, said he won’t be seeking any other political office until he finishes in his current role.
“I’m going to run through the tape as governor until January of next year. I’m going to try to be the very best governor I can be. I’m going to continue to stand up and be a voice. I’m not going to sit back and not be involved in the issues of the day. I’m concerned about the direction of the party and the country, and I’ll make a decision about 2024 after I finish this job,” he said.
Hogan, who has long been critical of Trump and his hold on the GOP, has said his fight to regain the “soul of the party” isn’t over.
“Right now, I think we made tremendous progress because we went from about 80-some-percent that wanted to re-elect Donald Trump to 50. That’s a huge drop,” he said.
An October Quinnipiac University survey found that 78% of Republicans at that time wanted to re-elect Trump, compared to the 50% who said they would in the CNN poll, released on Sunday.
Hogan’s office did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
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