Republican Larry Hogan Debuts Campaign Ad Depicting ‘Horror’ Of Jan. 6

GOP Senate nominee Larry Hogan released a campaign ad Tuesday featuring scenes of “horror” from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and claiming he was an “early critic” of former President Donald Trump.

In the TV spot, a narrator calls Maryland’s former two-term governor “one of the few Republicans who never caved” to Trump, set against headlines calling Hogan an “un-Trump Republican” and “the face” of the anti-Trump GOP.

“And on Jan. 6, as we watched in horror, Hogan didn’t just talk about defending democracy, he did something — sending in the Maryland National Guard to protect the Capitol,” the narrator says alongside images of rioters storming the Capitol. Hogan sent 500 National Guard members and 200 state troopers to D.C. that day.

The ad, titled “Never Backs Down,” also hypes Hogan as a “bipartisan” and “independent” leader who navigated the 2015 “Baltimore riots” and his cancer diagnosis early during his first term in office.

Hogan is the only GOP Senate candidate this cycle who has broken significantly with Trump as he runs for statewide office in a solidly blue state. He also appears to be the first Republican to seize on imagery that Democrats use to highlight chaos and extremism on the right. Hogan has previously blamed Trump for the events of Jan. 6.

The Washington Post reported the spot is part of an $8 million general-election ad buy targeting Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, who has spent $1 million on ads.

Hogan left office as Maryland governor in 2022 with high approval ratings, but he’s tried to distance himself from Trump and the national GOP as he runs for federal office in a state where Democrats significantly outnumber Republicans.

In March, Hogan, who previously weighed running for president in 2024 on a third-party ticket, said he wouldn’t vote for Trump. He also didn’t show up to the Republican National Convention, where Republicans celebrated Trump as he accepted the party’s presidential nomination.

An August public poll of Maryland’s Senate race had Hogan tied with Alsobrooks, who has run ads reminding voters that Hogan is a “lifelong Republican.” Democrats have attempted to link Hogan to the national GOP even though the former governor has pivoted to the left on abortion rights after vetoing legislation in 2022 that would have expanded abortion access in the state.

Democrats are defending their 51-49 majority in the Senate and cannot afford to lose Maryland while also battling for seats in Trump-backing Montana and Ohio.