As the former governor of Maryland, and current Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, Larry Hogan presents a strong voice amidst the political climate. Hogan’s beliefs firmly root in traditional American values, such as the rule of law, separation of church and state, and respect for civil service professionals. According to Hogan, these core principles are under significant threat like never before – a problem so prevalent that both the left and right sides of politics are implicated.
On the left, Hogan speaks of the refusal of some to clearly stand up to radicals – those who present an antisemitic stance, or support pro-Hamas, the defunding of police, and the open-borders movement. This lack of response, Hogan argues, has caused substantial damage to American society. Meanwhile, on the right, Hogan draws attention to ‘Project 2025’, a program that he suggests poses a severe threat to American values.
Project 2025, a 900-page proposal fashioned by the Heritage Foundation in the previous year, was put together with input from a large number of former Trump administration officials and those with close ties to the previous president. Designed to serve as a blueprint for future administrations, Hogan considers many of the ideas proposed as toxic. They yield a disturbing trend of disregarding the checks on presidential power that have underpinned American democracy for over two centuries.
Hogan, however, pays particular attention to one of the central targets of Project 2025; federal workers. The program proposes eliminating civil service protections for most of these workers, effectively transforming them into political appointees of the president. In essence, this would involve removing non-partisan civil servants and replacing them with presidential loyalists.
Furthermore, Hogan sheds light on the turmoil this power grab could create, not only for the short-term benefit of Republicans, but ultimately, for a Democratic president handed this level of control.
Project 2025 also aims to undermine the Justice Department by eliminating its independence from the presidency, thus dismantling the standard that the White House does not interfere in federal investigations. Hogan’s father, an FBI agent himself, deeply believed that this work ought to remain free from political influence.
Moreover, Hogan raises serious concerns over some of the new policies proposed by Project 2025, including mass deportations, eliminating the Education Department, potentially disbanding the Federal Reserve and recalling the abortion medication, mifepristone, from the market.
Ultimately, in Hogan’s view, the American people want sensible solutions to the many issues facing them. These include affordable costs of living, safer communities, and a secured border coupled with a repaired immigration system. Hogan proposes that to repair a broken system in Washington, leaders need to embrace the defense of traditional American values. To do so, they must address the issues within both parties and strengthen extremism’s only real bulwark. With this approach, Hogan hopes to bring about the bipartisan progress he believes is still achievable in Washington.
