Former Maryland governor Larry Hogan mocked for endorsing Nikki Haley in 2024 GOP presidential race

DAVIDSONVILLE, MARYLAND: On the day before the Iowa caucuses, former Maryland Governor, Larry Hogan (R) endorsed Nikki Haley as the 2024 Republican presidential nominee during his appearance on CNN's ‘State of the Union.’

Hogan joins a growing list of prominent GOP figures in endorsing the former UN ambassador's candidacy as she seeks to establish herself as the primary alternative to former President Trump.

This endorsement is expected to significantly impact the ongoing presidential race as it could potentially sway voters toward Haley.

What did the former Republican Governor of Maryland say during his TV appearance on Sunday?

Hogan said about Haley on Sunday, “I'm convinced that the momentum is with Nikki Haley, that she has the potential of moving into second place — although it be at a distant second place — which gives her momentum heading into New Hampshire where she's only seven points down, and I think that's a real possibility.”

Hogan’s forecast for Nikki Haley rings true as the former Maryland Governor assesses Haley’s chances to secure "a distant second" in Iowa and build on that momentum to possibly win the New Hampshire caucus on January 23 where Governor Chris Sununu has endorsed her.

Haley could then go into the South Carolina caucus where she’ll be expecting strong polling on her name since she served as the Governor of the state between 2011 and 2017.

The Maryland Republican believes that "it's time for the party to get behind" the former South Carolina governor.

"Yes, it is time for the party to get behind Nikki Haley,” Hogan said. 

He continued, "My friend Chris Christie dropped out of the race in New Hampshire. I appreciate his effort, but I believe that Nikki Haley is the strongest chance for us to put forth our best possible candidate for November."

In recent weeks, there has been speculation surrounding the resignation of Hogan as co-chair of the No Labels party, with some suggesting that it may be indicative of his intentions to run for the presidency in 2024.

In an advertisement from November 2023, Hogan had hinted at the possibility of a third-party presidential bid, further fueling these rumors, per a report from Axios.

However, on Sunday, Hogan refuted these claims, stating that his decision to step down from his position was not related to any exploratory efforts for a 2024 presidential run on the No Labels platform.

"No, it kind of created a whole lot of speculation, and I didn't mean to do that, my position on No Labels has not changed. I'm focused on trying to nominate the strongest possible Republican we can, which is why I'm urging everyone to get behind Nikki Haley," Hogan explained.

When asked by CNN's Jake Tapper if he was endorsing Haley, Hogan replied that he didn’t want Trump to have emerged as the sole Republican candidate capable of securing the presidential nomination, and therefore he opted not to run for president himself last year.

"I really did not want to see a multi-car pile-up that would just enable Donald Trump. I think we want to have the strongest possible nominee in November. Polls show that that is Nikki Haley,” he stated.

Internet trolls Larry Hogan for endorsing Nikki Haley 

People on X poured cold water over the former Mayland governor’s case for Nikki Haley’s chances at securing the GOP presidential nomination by beating Donald Trump at the primaries.

One X user remarked: “That’s like the final coffin nail."

Another user wrote: "She´s not winning..."

Another user said: "No labels guy (aka centrist), no longer a Republican, endorses a squish RINO.... You don't say..."

One user quipped: "Well, that should seal her defeat right up. Good job, Larry."

Another X user claimed: "All the establishment is rallying behind Haley, she is the party plant."

Finally, this user tweeted: "Swamp endorses swamp. How fitting."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.