Larry Hogan, who won the Republican nomination for Maryland’s open Senate seat earlier this week, is casting himself as “pro choice,” marking a significant shift from his earlier position on abortion as he gears up for what is expected to be a competitive general election.
“I think Marylanders know and trust that when I give them my word, I’m going to keep it,” Hogan told the New York Times on Thursday, saying that he backs legislation to enshrine abortion rights in federal law. The former governor also said he planned to vote to approve a measure set to appear on the state’s ballot in November that would enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution.
In a post on X, Hogan also reiterated his pledge to support abortion rights.
“As governor, I protected the rights of Maryland women to make their own reproductive health decisions,” Hogan wrote. “I will do the same in the Senate by restoring Roe v. Wade as the law of the land. No one should come between a woman and her doctor.”
The comments are some of Hogan’s strongest remarks on the topic.
In February, he authored an op-ed in the Washington Post saying that he doesn’t “fit neatly into one box” on the issue and arguing that it’s time to “take back our politics from the extremes.”
In 2022, Hogan, who was then governor, vetoed a state law to widen access to the procedure. After his veto was overridden, he withheld $3.5 million that state lawmakers set aside to train new providers.
In their efforts to defeat Hogan, Democrats will likely try to tie Hogan to the national Republican Party’s stance on abortion.
Hogan’s latest comments come days after he became the GOP nominee, setting him up to face off against Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks in what is expected to be a tight Senate race in solidly Democratic Maryland.
Campaigns for Hogan and Alsobrooks did not immediately respond to NBC News’ requests for comment on Thursday.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
