Gov. Larry Hogan has what appears to be a super PAC, a development sure to stoke speculation that Maryland’s chief executive might challenge President Trump in the Republican Primary in 2020.
Change Maryland Action Fund bills itself as a political organization that can accept contributions in unlimited amounts. Neither the Federal Election Commission nor the Maryland State Board of Elections were able to track down a statement of organization for the group on Tuesday. But it has begun soliciting contributions as Hogan more closely considers a presidential bid amid a busy national travel schedule. Last week, he was in New Hampshire for the first time as a potential contender.
In an email fundraising appeal issued in April, Change Maryland Action Fund described itself as the “official organization” backing Hogan, saying it was “founded by the governor’s closest friends and supporters.”
Such organizations, usually referred to as super PACs, operate independently because federal law prohibits coordination with campaigns. But most are staffed and operated by loyal operatives who previously advised the political figure they were propped up to promote, and Change Maryland Action Fund appears no different. The super PAC’s finance director is Allison Meyers, the signatory of at least two email fundraising appeals.
[Related: Larry Hogan edges toward 2020 challenge to Trump: ‘I’m taking it more seriously’]
“Having worked as Governor Hogan’s Finance Director, I can personally attest to the power of our small-dollar fundraising machine,” Meyers says in one of the email appeals. “For every deceitful ad that our opponents in Annapolis run, we will release ads of our own to show voters the truth about what Governor Hogan is doing to root out corruption, continue growing our economy, and protecting your future.”
As this appeal suggests, Change Maryland Action Fund is presenting itself as Hogan’s chief outside ally in Annapolis, where Democrats, who tend to oppose the more conservative elements of his agenda, have a veto-proof majority in the state legislature.
But group’s activity comes as Hogan acknowledges that he is more aggressively weighing a 2020 bid. He is holding regular meetings with his political team to discuss a possible campaign and embarking on a series of trips to more than a dozen states for a mixture of state and political business.
Trump’s opponents inside the Republican Party have been encouraging the governor to run since November. The president is strong with self-described GOP voters, but some Never Trump Republicans insist the commander in chief is weaker than he appears.
Just eight weeks ago, Hogan was content to listen to encouraging voices but nothing more. The governor’s intrigue has clearly grown since, despite a positive conclusion to the Russia investigation for Trump. In an interview with the Washington Examiner last week in New Hampshire, Hogan leaned into the possibility that he might pull the trigger.
“I am taking it more seriously and doing more things,” Hogan said as he made the rounds in New Hampshire, a key early primary state. “We’re having discussions.”
A few days later, he attended the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner. Messages left for representatives of Change Maryland Action Fund were not returned.
[Also read: Maryland moderate Larry Hogan is no threat to Trump, say analysts]
