Former Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD) speaks to supporters after winning the Maryland GOP Senate nomination.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Wow, what a great crowd and I want to thank every single one of you tonight. Thank you so much.
00:08 [applause]
00:12 You know, they said the Hogan brand of politics was dead.
00:15 But once again, we proved them wrong tonight.
00:18 [applause]
00:22 You know, 2014, they said it couldn't be done here in Maryland.
00:25 But with your help, we just went out and did it, pulled off the biggest surprise upset in America.
00:31 And then in 2018, we beat the odds once again.
00:35 And I became only the second Republican governor re-elected in the entire 242-year history of this state.
00:43 So thank you.
00:44 [applause]
00:49 You know, we've always been an underdog.
00:51 They've always counted us out.
00:53 But every single time, together, we have beaten the odds.
00:58 So thank you.
00:59 Tonight, I want to thank all the people of Maryland for their continued support.
01:04 I want to congratulate all six of our primary challengers and their campaigns.
01:12 And it looks like it might be a long night before they decide that other primary.
01:17 [laughter]
01:20 But let me also congratulate County Executive, also Brooks, and Congressman Strone and their campaigns.
01:29 But tonight, the campaign for Maryland and America's future begins.
01:34 [applause]
01:42 And with your help, we're going to bring our case for strong, proven, effective, and independent leadership
01:50 directly to the people of Maryland all across this state from one end of the country to the other.
01:56 So thank you very, very much.
01:58 [applause]
02:04 Just 95 days ago, we launched this campaign.
02:08 And I wasn't looking for a new title.
02:11 I didn't need a job.
02:13 But I decided to take on this challenge because I have never been more concerned about the direction of our nation.
02:22 And there are times in history when we desperately need leaders to step up and put the country first.
02:32 [applause]
02:39 30 years ago, a congressman from Maryland made a tough decision,
02:45 and he became the first Republican to come out for the impeachment of President Nixon.
02:50 He put aside party politics and his own personal considerations,
02:55 and he stepped up to do the right thing for Maryland as a nation.
02:59 That congressman was my dad, Larry Wilson Sr.
03:03 [applause]
03:08 I learned a lot about integrity and public service from him,
03:13 and I have tried to live by the example he set.
03:17 But today, Washington is completely broken because that kind of leadership,
03:24 that kind of willingness to put country over party, has become far too rare.
03:31 And America is at a dangerous, critical crossroads.
03:36 Most Americans are thoroughly convinced that we are hopelessly divided,
03:41 that Washington is completely dysfunctional,
03:44 and that our entire political system is fundamentally broken.
03:49 The voices of the exhausted majority are often ignored in deference to the demands of the loudest and angriest few
03:59 who seem hell-bent on tearing America apart.
04:03 Enough is enough.
04:06 [applause]
04:14 Like you, I am completely fed up with top-down politics as usual in Washington,
04:21 where the politicians on both sides seem to be more interested in attacking each other
04:27 than in actually getting anything done for the people they represent.
04:31 [applause]
04:36 Look, I'm willing to stand up and fight for the things that really matter,
04:40 but not for status quo politics as usual, and not to perpetuate polarization and paralysis.
04:47 I think you know I don't come from the performative arts school of politics.
04:52 [laughter]
04:53 I come from the get-to-work-and-get-things-done school,
04:56 and I'll work with anyone who wants to do a people's business.
05:01 [applause]
05:07 Most Marylanders and most Americans prefer straight talk to empty rhetoric,
05:13 and they think it's time for less talk and more action.
05:17 That's what I did for eight years as your governor,
05:20 and it's exactly what I'll do in the United States Senate.
05:23 [applause]
05:30 Here in Maryland, just down the road from our nation's capital,
05:35 we have already proven that there is a better path forward.
05:40 While Washington ran up the debt and created crushing inflation,
05:44 we balanced the budget every single year and put people first.
05:49 We worked across the aisle with our Democratic legislature
05:52 to cut taxes eight years in a row by $4.7 billion.
05:56 [applause]
06:03 We inherited a $5.1 billion deficit
06:07 and turned it into a $5.5 billion surplus, the largest in state history.
06:12 [applause]
06:16 And I'll take that exact same approach to the United States Senate
06:20 because the American dream is slipping away for far too many.
06:25 Instead of pointing fingers, blaming others, and playing politics,
06:29 I'll reach across the aisle and work together to deliver real, common-sense,
06:35 bipartisan solutions on the issues that matter,
06:39 just as I did as your governor for eight years.
06:42 [applause]
06:48 I'll work to make life more affordable for hardworking Marylanders
06:51 and continue our fight to rebuild America's crumbling infrastructure,
06:56 starting with the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
06:59 [applause]
07:00 And in the Senate, I'll continue the work to ensure that every child in America
07:05 has access to a great education and economic opportunity,
07:09 regardless of what neighborhood they happen to grow up in.
07:12 [applause]
07:18 And I'll work to secure the border and fix the broken immigration system.
07:22 [applause]
07:30 You know, this is National Police Week,
07:34 and I want to once again express our gratitude to the brave men and women of law enforcement
07:40 who put their lives on the line every day to keep our country safe.
07:44 [applause]
07:50 Instead of demonizing and sabotaging these dedicated men and women,
07:55 they deserve the respect and the tools they need to do their jobs
07:59 and to reverse the tide, rising violent crime, and to keep our communities safe,
08:05 I will continue the fight to get guns out of the hands of criminals
08:09 and to hold violent offenders accountable.
08:11 [applause]
08:16 Because politics should never have come before public safety.
08:20 And when it comes to the toughest issues facing our nation,
08:25 the solutions are really not that complicated.
08:29 There are common-sense solutions,
08:33 but neither side really seems to want to make progress.
08:36 They'd rather make demands and win arguments on Twitter.
08:40 [laughter]
08:42 And these politicians are willing to say and do anything to stop us.
08:47 Over the next few months, you are going to hear a whole lot more of this political BS.
08:53 And Marylanders are going to be inundated with scare tactics and false attacks.
08:59 Don't let them get away with it.
09:02 [applause]
09:08 And let me, once again, set the record straight tonight.
09:13 To the women of Maryland, you have my word that I will continue to protect your right
09:20 to make your own reproductive health decisions, just like I did for eight years.
09:25 [applause]
09:34 To my Democratic and Independent friends tonight, you know me.
09:40 You know my proven tremors of reaching across the aisle to find common ground for the common good.
09:48 You know that I'm not going to be just one more Capitol Hill Republican.
09:54 You know that I have the courage to put people over politics and put country over party.
10:01 And you know that I will stand up to the current president, the former president,
10:07 to the Democratic Party, or the Republican Party.
10:10 [applause]
10:18 And I will continue to be the same strong, independent, for a leader that I always have been.
10:25 Look, no one of us has all the answers or all the power.
10:30 And let's face it, one party alone can't fix this mess.
10:34 John F. Kennedy once said, "Sometimes party loyalty demands too much."
10:41 This is one of those moments.
10:44 So I'm asking you to join us in this important fight to fix the broken politics in America.
10:51 If you are completely fed up with divisiveness and dysfunction in Washington and you want change,
10:57 then vote for me to send a strong, independent leader who will stand up and fight
11:02 to clean up the mess in Washington.
11:05 [applause]
11:15 If you're sick and tired of the angry politics and gridlock,
11:20 and you would rather see common-sense, bipartisan solutions that work for all the people of Maryland,
11:25 then join our cause.
11:27 And if you believe that we need to stand up and safeguard the rule of law and protect our democracy,
11:33 then join together with us.
11:35 [applause]
11:43 If you believe that we need leaders who will stand up to both parties and put the country first,
11:49 then join our fight.
11:51 The Washington politicians win by perpetuating polarization.
11:56 But Maryland is known as the state of middle temperament.
12:01 We believe in common decency and common sense.
12:06 And we know that what unites us as Marylanders and as Americans is greater than that which divides us.
12:14 [applause]
12:23 This is not just about the differences between the right and the left.
12:30 This is about the difference between right and wrong.
12:34 [applause]
12:36 And this isn't just your typical fight between Democrats and Republicans.
12:42 It's more important than that.
12:44 This is a fight for Maryland and America's future.
12:47 And that is a fight worth fighting.
12:49 [applause]
12:56 So I'm asking for your vote and your support,
12:59 not just to serve one party, but to fix the road in politics and to fight for all Marylanders.
13:05 Ladies and gentlemen, with your help, this November,
13:09 we can send a loud and clear message to all the politicians in Washington
13:15 that will be heard all across America.
13:18 So thank you, Maryland.
13:20 [applause]