Larry Hogan won't be giving an RNC speech
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Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on NBC's "Meet the Press." Photo: William B. Plowman/NBC via Getty Images
MILWAUKEE — Almost every major 2024 Republican Senate candidate vying to flip a Democratic seat will give a speech on the GOP convention stage Tuesday evening, with one notable exception: former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
Why it matters: While Republican unity has been the theme of the week, Hogan is among a small but stubborn group of Republicans skipping the voyage to Milwaukee to witness Trump's official nomination.
- Hogan's team confirmed he will not be in Milwaukee this week and was not invited to give a convention speech.
- Hogan has explicitly distanced himself from Trump as he runs for Senate in the deep blue state of Maryland, which has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 1980.
Between the lines: As Axios has reported, Hogan is not alone in opting out of the Republican National Convention festivities.
- Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine), Todd Young (Indiana), Mitt Romney (Utah) and Rand Paul (Kentucky) — also are spending the week elsewhere.
- Paul — who, unlike the others on the list is not a moderate Republican — endorsed Trump in 2016 and 2020 but has held off this time around amid a growing rift with the former president's team.
Zoom out: Every other major non-incumbent GOP candidate running to help flip the Senate will get stage time Tuesday night:
- West Virginia's Jim Justice
- Montana's Tim Sheehy
- Ohio's Bernie Moreno
- Pennsylvania's David McCormick
- Michigan's Mike Rogers
- Wisconsin's Eric Hovde
- Nevada's Sam Brown
- Arizona's Kari Lake
- Indiana's Jim Banks
- Virginia's Hung Cao
The big picture: The speeches come a day after Trump tapped one-time critic J.D. Vance as his running mate.
- The former president also extended a last-minute speaking slot to his primary foe Nikki Haley.
- But frequent Trump-critic Hogan is staying home, despite having Trump's endorsement.
- Hogan "is not going to be focused on party. He will be focused on getting stuff done and bringing people together across party lines for Maryland and the country," campaign senior advisor Mike Ricci told Axios in a statement.
What to watch: Republicans see Maryland as a real pick up opportunity due to Hogan's established brand and popularity.
- The National Republican Senatorial Committee last week showed GOP senators internal polling that has Hogan besting Democrat Angela Alsobrooks.
