Hogan argues abortion pivot during Maryland Senate race not ‘a major transformation’

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican candidate for retiring Democratic Sen. Cardin’s Maryland seat, said Friday that his recent focus on abortion is not a “major change.” He claimed that there was no.

In an interview published Thursday in The New York Times, Hogan said he supports “reinstating Roe as the law of the land” and called himself a “pro-choice man.”

Hogan doubled down on his remarks in Friday’s interview, saying his position on abortion, which he explained to the NYT, “wasn’t really a huge change,” according to The Washington Post. report.

“Times have changed,” Hogan said, according to the newspaper. “Look, things have changed in the last few decades and in the last year or two.”

Hogan did not commit to supporting a bill in March that would codify abortion rights in federal law.

“I think we need to consider that as we move forward,” Hogan said at the time. “…It doesn’t matter whether it’s necessary or not.”

The former Maryland governor said his current position on abortion is clear and not new, according to the Washington Post.

“After Roe’s ouster, we were in a really bad position and crazy, unreasonable things were happening,” Hogan said, citing recent legal battles over reproductive health in states like Alabama and Arizona. also mentioned. Washington Post.

“We don’t want to go back to 1864,” he said.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) on Thursday called Hogan’s change in position a “reversal.”

“This is completely beside the point,” Van Hollen told The Hill Thursday. “Larry Hogan has sought to portray himself as a non-politician who is above politics. I agree with his new position, but let me be clear: this is a completely political So the question is, do you believe in the old Larry Hogan or do you believe in the new Larry Hogan? If you have to ask that question, it’s natural for voters to be concerned.”