Moderate GOP governors rule out Senate bids

Blue-state Republican governors Larry Hogan of Maryland and Chris Sununu of New Hampshire have both ruled out running for Senate in a serious blow to Republicans' ambitions to retake the upper chamber in November.

The four senators representing the two states are all Democrats.

Hogan ruled out challenging Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) at a press conference Tuesday, despite the urging of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other prominent Republicans, The Associated Press reported.

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"I will not be a candidate for the United States Senate," the term-limited Maryland governor said. "I sincerely appreciate all the people who have been encouraging me to consider it."

Hogan has floated the idea of running for president, but a moderate like him would be unlikely to win the GOP primary.

In November, Sununu publicly announced he would not run against Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), CNN reported.

"I'd rather push myself 120 miles an hour delivering wins for New Hampshire than ... slow down, end up on Capitol Hill debating partisan politics without results. That's why I am going to run for a fourth term" as governor, he said.

Sununu told The Washington Examiner last month he had been "pretty close" to running for a Senate seat and was even "ready to make an announcement," but he wasn't comfortable with the idea that he was "just going to be a roadblock" to President Biden's agenda "for two years."

Biden quoted Sununu's remarks during a Jan. 19 press conference as part of his larger critique of Republican obstructionism.

"I don't appreciate the president using my words out of context," Sununu said on CNN's State of the Union when asked how he felt about Biden's remarks. "I've been critical of both sides of the aisle … all 100 senators."