Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Monday that he doesn't yet believe President Donald Trump is vulnerable in a primary, but he's still considering launching a challenge because "things could change."
In an interview with The Associated Press at a National Governors Association regional meeting in Iowa, Hogan said, "I have a real important day job. I'm not someone who would just run just to make a statement. I'd have to believe there was an actual path to victory."
Hogan, who won re-election last fall, said he had no political events planned for his two-day visit to the state but acknowledged he was fielding calls from Republican "thought leaders, donors and some elected officials" asking him to challenge Trump.
"We'll see. You never say never," he said.
Hogan has long been critical of the president, accusing him of contributing to GOP electoral losses in the state and emphasizing his distance from Trump on issues like health care. On Monday, he told NGA attendees that he was "really disappointed with dysfunction and divisiveness in Washington and the fact nothing seems to get done." Later, when asked if Trump was to blame for the atmosphere in Washington, Hogan said, "There's plenty of blame to go around."
Hogan demurred when asked by the AP if it was time to start considering impeachment. In 1974, Hogan's father, Lawrence Hogan Sr., became the only Republican on the House Judiciary Committee to support all three articles of impeachment against then-President Richard Nixon.
He said that he wanted to "get the facts" before passing judgment but that when the special counsel's report comes out, "I think it's going to be the start of more questions and more investigations."
"It's going to be a long saga for the country," he said.
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