Maryland's Republican governor is refusing to rule out running for president in the future, telling an assembled group this week, "you never say never."
Gov. Larry Hogan took questions in front of hundreds of business leaders on Thursday at a hotel in Bethesda, Maryland, a Democrat-heavy city that's just over the northwestern border of Washington, D.C.
"You never say never," Hogan said when asked about his future in national politics, according to The Washington Post. "I'm one of the most popular governors in the country."
A poll in June showed Hogan had a 64 percent approval rating. Other polls in recent months have given him an approval figure of 70 percent or more.
Hogan is known to be a moderate Republican and he has tried to put some real estate between himself and the national GOP. That could hurt him if he runs for president, although it's worked for him thus far.
"I got elected not because I was a Republican, but in spite of the fact I was a Republican," said Hogan, who first took office in 2015. "I went into it not as a Republican, but as close as you can get to an independent."
As far as taking the plunge and running for national office, Hogan said he hasn't given the idea much consideration.
"I have never really given that much thought," Hogan said, the Post reported. "Right now, I'm a lot more focused on just getting reelected because there's a lot more things to get done in the second four years."
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