A Republican governor known for his bipartisan appeal said he wrote-in late President Ronald Reagan as opposed to voting for President Trump when he cast his early ballot this week.
Speaking with the Washington Post on Thursday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan called Reagan his “hero in politics” and noted that his “symbolic” vote was meant to outline the type of politician he thought would be the best fit for the Oval Office.
“I know it’s simply symbolic,” Hogan said. “It’s not going to change the outcome in my state. But I thought it was important to just cast a vote that showed the kind of person I’d like to see in office.”
Hogan recounted his experience as a “lifelong conservative” and said he always admired Reagan, who became the standard-bearer of the Republican Party during his two-tenure term in Washington.
“Reagan was the guy,” Hogan said. “I marched around as a college kid on the floor of the convention with a Reagan hat and a Reagan sign.”
Hogan joins two other Republican governors who have publicly said they will not vote for Trump in the upcoming election. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker have both expressed that they will not vote for the sitting president.
Hogan dismissed the idea that he might work in Biden’s potential Cabinet, saying he was committed to finishing out his tenure as governor and remaining a Republican. Hogan stressed that he believes the United States needs a president who can work with politicians of all political stripes.
“People really want someone who’s pragmatic, who’s not afraid to compromise,” Hogan said.
