Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV), who left the Democrat Party earlier this year, has surprisingly endorsed the Republican candidate running to flip the open Senate seat in deep-blue Maryland.
𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇 | WV Senator Joe Manchin has announced his support for Maryland GOP Senate candidate Larry Hogan.
Manchin: “I will give you one person who I know who's absolutely cut out to be a US Senator: Larry Hogan in Maryland.” pic.twitter.com/pOLTarfues
— The Election Post (@TheElectionPost) September 5, 2024
Machin announced his retirement late last year, roughly six months before he left the Democrat Party in late May 2024. While Manchin has endorsed the Democrat in the race to fill his own Senate seat in deep-red West Virginia, he has decided to endorse a Republican for the open seat in Maryland.
The two major candidates running to take the open Senate seat are former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and little-known Democrat candidate Angela Alsobrooks.
While many speculated that Manchin may follow his endorsement of West Virginia Democrat Senate candidate Glenn Elliott with an endorsement of Alsobrooks, thus pushing for the Democrats to continue holding a majority in the Senate, he decided instead to announce his endorsement of Hogan on Thursday.
“Forget about being a Democrat or Republican,” Manchin told DC News Now. “Larry Hogan is just the right person with the right attitude for the job. He’s not afraid to speak against your party, and he won’t be controlled by any party or any type of ideology.”
Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV): “I'll give you one person who I know who's absolutely cut out to be a U.S. Senator: Larry Hogan in Maryland.” pic.twitter.com/oC5KCLvwzg
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) September 5, 2024
This endorsement is a major blow to Alsobrooks, who is facing intense pressure from the left to stop Republicans from flipping the seat held by outgoing Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) since 2006.
However, Hogan is far from a conservative, and has openly attacked former President Donald Trump, which may give left-leaning Manchin a way to defend himself from attacks for supporting a Republican. In response to an endorsement from Trump, Hogan rudely declared: “I didn’t seek it, I didn’t want to have it and I have no interest in it.”
Hogan’s anti-Trump position may allow him to win over never-Trumpers within the GOP as well as some left-leaning moderates who are disheartened with the far-left trajectory of the Democrat Party. If Hogan were to win the Senate seat, Republicans are very likely to retake the Senate with a strong majority.
According to Breitbart News, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) appears worried that Hogan may be able to win the race in November in Maryland, despite the fact that President Joe Biden won the deep-blue state by 33 points in 2020.
The outlet also reported on the poll numbers in the race, noting that “Hogan and Alsobrooks are in a low single-digit contest, according to polling, but only about one-third of voters know who Alsobrooks is. Hogan’s favorability numbers as the former governor are strong across many demographics, including black voters, women, and independents.”
