Larry Hogan to skip Republican National Convention this summer

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who is running as the Republican candidate for the Senate, confirmed Wednesday that he will not be attending the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this summer.

Former President Donald Trump is expected to be named the party's nominee for president at the convention this year, where thousands of Republicans from across the country will gather for a four-day event next month. Attendees include members of Congress, GOP governors, and other Republican officials.

Hogan's campaign said the former governor will not be attending the convention, according to The Hill. which he also missed in 2016 and 2020. It is not clear why he has decided to skip the convention this year, but Hogan has been a staunch critic of Trump, and is attempting to sway independent and left-leaning voters in his bid for the Senate. Maryland is a predominately liberal state, which President Joe Biden won by 33 points in 2020.

The Senate hopeful has also faced backlash among Trump's supporters recently, after he encouraged the public to "respect the verdict and legal process" in Trump's hush money trial. Trump was convicted of all 34 charges of falsifying business records to hide the hush money payment.

Ohio GOP Sen. J.D. Vance said the criticism of Hogan are reasonable, but said he still hopes the former governor wins the seat this November. Trump's campaign manager Chris LaCivita however told Hogan had "ended his campaign." 

“He obviously is going to run a different campaign than I would run,” Vance said. “I still hope he wins.”

Hogan faces Democratic Senate nominee Angela Alsobrooks, and they are running to replace the retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin.