Hogan's unclear Social Security position could decide Maryland Senate race

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has repeatedly flirted with the idea of cutting Social Security and Medicare. It could become a liability in his campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Hogan, a Republican, served as governor from 2015 to 2023. He is now running for Maryland’s open Senate seat against Democrat Angela Alsobrooks.

While Hogan has never explicitly called for cuts to safety net programs, he has repeatedly said that all federal programs should be on the chopping block and frequently qualifies his remarks about protecting Social Security. This is the case on his current campaign website which calls for protecting benefits only for those close to retirement.

“Governor Hogan will always fight to protect Social Security and Medicare, especially for seniors who depend on this vital program,” the page states. “They paid into the system, earned these benefits, and deserve their fair share. Seniors that have already reached retirement and those close to retirement need to be protected from changes to benefits they have planned on.”

From 2020 to 2023, Hogan served as co-chair of No Labels, a political organization that claims to advocate for centrist policy positions. Under Hogan’s leadership, the group drafted a platform for the 2024 presidential election that used similar language to his current campaign website. The platform stated that low-income earners and those close to retirement should not face a Social Security cut, but it did not rule out cuts for other Americans.

Earlier in 2023, No Labels endorsed a U.S. Senate proposal to raise the retirement age to 70. An estimated 18 million Americans aged 65 to 69 currently receive Social Security benefits.

Hogan reportedly considered a third-party presidential run in 2024 with No Labels’ support. He left the organization in Dec. 2023 to run for the Senate instead.

After opting out of the presidential race, Hogan endorsed former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. During her campaign, Haley advocated for raising the retirement age and, as governor, supported means-testing Social Security benefits.

Hogan has ties to other Republicans who support cutting Social Security.

In August, Hogan held a fundraiser with former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. In 2010,  as the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee, Ryan authored a policy agenda titled Roadmap For America’s Future. The plan sought to privatize large portions of Social Security and replace Medicare with a voucher system. 

The progressive Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said Ryan’s plan would result in a 28% cut to Social Security by 2080 and put the program on track to be insolvent by 2040. 

Ryan’s plan also called for eliminating corporate taxes. The plan was not adopted.

Hogan is a close ally of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and endorsed Christie’s 2016 presidential campaign. In that campaign, Christie proposed sweeping cuts to Social Security, including raising the retirement age to 69 and means testing benefits. 

In a 2020 radio interview, Hogan described Christie as a “mentor.”

An AARP poll from August found that 52% of older voters in Maryland rely on, or expect to rely on, Social Security as a major source of income. Additionally, 79% of respondents indicated that a candidate’s stance on Social Security is “very or extremely important” to them.

A Hogan campaign spokesperson provided the following statement in response to this reporting: “Gov. Hogan opposes Project 2025 and is committed to protecting Social Security against any attempts to make cuts to the program or raise the retirement age.”