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Former Maryland Governor and Republican nominee for Senate Larry Hogan faced criticism from fellow Republicans for his comments about former President Donald Trump’s criminal conviction on Thursday.
The former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee wasfound guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree on Thursday after two days of jury deliberations.
“Regardless of the result, I urge all Americans to respect the verdict and the legal process. At this dangerously divided moment in our history, all leaders—regardless of party—must not pour fuel on the fire with more toxic partisanship,” Hogan posted on X.
“We must reaffirm what has made this nation great: the rule of law,” he said.
LEGAL EXPERTS SAY TRUMP CONVICTION IS A ‘TARGET RICH ENVIRONMENT’ FOR APPEAL
Then-Gov. Larry Hogan speaks at the Maryland statehouse, Jan. 10, 2023, in Annapolis. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
Chris LaCivita, senior advisor to the former president and his campaign, responded to the post saying, ” You just ended your campaign.”
Hogan, a moderate former two-term Republican governor, is vying to succeed retiring longtime Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin in blue-state Maryland.
JURY REACHES VERDICT IN NY V. TRUMP TRIAL
Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, Thursday, May 30, 2024, after being found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)
Fox News’ reported Thursday that NRSC chairman Senator Steve Daines, R-Mont., will continue his support of Hogan despite his comments about Trump – the presumptive GOP nominee for president.
TRUMP SAYS GUILTY VERDICT IS A ‘SCAR’ ON NEW YORK JUSTICE SYSTEM, VOWS TO ‘KEEP FIGHTING’
Former President Trump appears in Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)
“I still think Larry Hogan will flip Maryland. Larry Hogan is gonna run his campaign. Run his race. President Trump will run his race. I thought that the trial was a complete sham,” Daines told Fox News’ Aisha Hasnie.
Hogan, who was a successful business leader before entering politics, won the governorship in 2014 and was re-elected to a second term in 2018.
During his last year as governor, Republican leaders in the nation’s capital and in Maryland heavily courted Hogan to run for the Senate in the 2022 midterm elections.
But Hogan declined, saying in a news conference in February that year that “as I have repeatedly said, I don’t aspire to be a United States senator.”
Former two-term Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland celebrates his victory in the 2024 Maryland Republican Senate primary, in Annapolis, Md. on May 14, 2024 (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Fast-forward two years and Hogan changed his mind after another full-court press by national Republican leaders, including Daines.
Hogan, a very vocal GOP critic of Trump, flirted with a 2024 White House run before deciding against it. And he has repeatedly said he won’t vote for the former president in November.
Asked if he’s concerned that his comments could cost him the votes of some Trump loyalists and supporters in the general election, Hogan told Fox News Digital that “the choice will be between me and a liberal Democrat. Hopefully, even if they’re a little upset with me about one particular issue or another, hopefully they’ll decide I’m the best choice for them.”
And asked earlier this year if having Trump at the top of the ticket in Maryland would hurt his bid for Senate, Hogan answered,”It’s a tough hurdle to overcome because he lost my state by 33 points.”
“It’s not going to be helpful to me, but I think we’re going to be able to overcome that challenge,” he added in a Fox News Digital interview.
Fox News’ Aisha Hasnie contributed to this report.
Brianna Herlihy is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
