ANNAPOLIS, Md. — He has led this state for eight years and as Larry Hogan’s second term comes to end, we sat down for an exit interview.
When you walk toward his office in the State House, you will see portraits of all the governors, in order Tawes, Agnew, Mandel, but Hogan made a fast switch. He pulled the portrait of Theodore McKeldin and put it front and center.
He wanted to see the face of the only other man who was a two term Republican Maryland Governor. He talked about starting his first campaign where nobody gave him a chance.
When he told friends he was running for governor they said, “what state?” It was the Fourth of July parade in Dundalk, heavily democratic Dundalk.
When he walked the parade route, he saw people starting to stand and applaud. He said enough with the rain tax and high tolls.
“Suddenly my message was catching on. When I came back to the campaign van, I told supporters, I’m going to win. I’m going to be the next governor of Maryland," Hogan said.
After cutting the rain tax, getting a budget lined up and through Freddie Gray, he was delivered a crushing message. After feeling exhausted, and a back that was biting, three doctors told him he had an aggressive form of cancer. One was on his spine, the other 54 were all over his body.
“I said how am I going to tell my wife and kids. How am I going to tell Maryland. It was Father's Day and my father came over, he was still alive then, and he was the one who took it the hardest. He just cried, knowing he couldn’t help his little boy,” said an emotional Governor Hogan.
Over his shoulder, on the wall hangs a guitar. It’s from country music superstar Tim McGraw who sings, “Live Like You Are Dying.”
Hogan made it through the ordeal with letters and emails from you. He also took millions to put into cancer research centers in Prince George's and Baltimore City. The man who called himself, “a punk 30-year-old," almost upset longtime Congressman Steny Hoyer.
He went to bed election night in 1992 leading, woke up the day after losing. Fast forward to January 6, the phone rings and it's from Congressman Hoyer.
He wanted National Guard help in the storming of the Capital.
As for his turning the keys over to Wes Moore, everything is running according to plan. The two have talked. Hogan has given Moore his cell phone just in case.
His biggest regret, “not getting everyone on the same page when it comes to fighting crime in Baltimore.”
Now for the elephant in the room, will he run for President. He plans to take a vacation with his wife, relax with his grandchildren, enjoy his new home in Davidsonville and then ponder a run next year.
