Maryland GOP Senate candidate Larry Hogan lines up with Biden on abortion, would codify Roe

Maryland Republican Senate nominee Larry Hogan says in a new ad he would codify Roe v. Wade into federal law if elected, allying himself with President Biden on abortion.

In the 30-second ad spot, first reported by Politico, the former Maryland governor says, "no one should come between a woman and her doctor." 

"I'm Larry Hogan. As governor, I promised to uphold Maryland law on abortion while providing over-the-counter birth control covered by insurance, and I kept my word," Hogan says, facing the camera.

"Today, with Roe overturned, many have asked what I'll do in the United States Senate. I'll support legislation that makes Roe the law of the land in every state so every woman can make her own choice," he says.

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Hogan, a moderate former two-term Republican governor, is vying to succeed retiring longtime Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin in blue-state Maryland.

His position on abortion, clarified in interviews last week, puts Hogan to the left of most of his party on abortion. Republicans in several states have sought to strengthen abortion restrictions or ban the procedure since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, declaring there is no right to abortion protected by the Constitution. 

Democrats, including Biden, have hammered the GOP on the issue, claiming that abortion restrictions deny women healthcare options and that former President Trump would enact a federal abortion ban if he wins in November. Trump has denied the charge and said states should be left to determine their own abortion laws, so long as they contain exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies that threaten the life of the mother. 

Biden has repeatedly called on Congress to codify Roe into law, which would invalidate state abortion restrictions supported by many Republicans and pro-life Americans. 

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Hogan told the New York Times in an interview last Thursday he supports "restoring Roe as the law of the land" and referred to himself as "pro-choice." In a follow-up interview with the Washington Post, Hogan, who was raised Catholic, said he is personally against the procedure, but his position that the government should protect abortion rights "wasn't really a major transformation." 

The latest Fox News Poll shows that the issue of abortion is the biggest single issue among self-described Democrats (24%), suburban women (24%), self-described very liberals (23%), Black voters (17%), those with a college degree (17%), and voters under age 30 (16%). 

Democrats are on defense as they fight to keep 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs in November, with their slim 51-49 majority in the Senate at risk.

Republicans are targeting three of those seats in states that former President Trump easily carried in 2020 — Ohio, Montana and West Virginia, where Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin is not running for re-election. Five more are in crucial general election battleground states. 

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Polls indicate that Hogan remains very popular with Maryland voters, and his late entry in February into the Senate race to succeed longtime Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin gave Democrats an unexpected headache. It will force them to spend time and resources to defend an open seat in a state that was previously considered safe territory.

The Democratic Senate nominee in Maryland, Angela Alsobrooks, hopes to make history as the Old Line State's first Black senator. 

Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

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