Speaking to The New Republic, Hogan cast himself as an independent who would
make decisions on judicial nominations solely on the merits. “If I think judges
are not qualified that are put up by President Kamala Harris or President
Donald Trump, I’ll stand up to them. But if I think they’re qualified, then
I’ll support them,” he said. Hogan simply refused to answer whether he thought
all nine of the current justices on the Supreme Court from Ketanji Brown
Jackson to Clarence Thomas would have earned his support and if he felt
comfortable with them on the court. “I’m just not gonna answer that question,”
he said snippily. “I’m not going to go back in time if I were in the Senate.”
He also shared his resentment at
Alsobrooks attacking him on abortion. “It’s frankly one of the most
disgraceful things I’ve seen,” he said, “and I think it’s hurting her really
badly, because people are fed up with that kind of toxic politics, particularly,
you know, dirty smear campaigns that are false.”
Instead, Hogan tried to paint
himself as a bipartisan figure, touting polling numbers that showed his strong
support from independents and high approval rating in the state after two terms
in office. “There’s no one in America who has stood up to Trump more than me,”
he boasted, adding, “I’m currently the only candidate in the country that’s
running ahead of him in any race, and even with Republicans.”
