Anti-Trump Republican Larry Hogan navigates dangerous political terrain in pivotal Senate contest

By STEVE PEOPLES and BRIAN WITTE
Associated Press

STEVENSVILLE, Md. (AP) — Larry Hogan has transformed Maryland’s sleepy Senate race into a top-tier contest in the fight for the Senate majority. But the former governor cannot afford to lose any part of his delicate and diverse political coalition. Already, Donald Trump loyalists are skeptical of the 67-year-old businessman, who hopes to become the first Republican in 44 years to win a Senate seat in the deep-blue state. And Democrats are seizing on abortion to make Hogan’s historic challenge even harder. But the R after Hogan’s name may ultimately prove the most serious liability for him in a state Trump lost by 33 points to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.