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‘This Should Have Been A Huge Red Wave’: Larry Hogan Says Trump Cost GOP The Election

[Screenshot CNN]

Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
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Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” that former President Donald Trump cost the GOP the midterm elections.

Host Dana Bash asked the governor to weigh in on the midterm outcomes, in which Democrats have successfully held the Senate and could still retain control of the House.

“The way I would interpret it — look, this should have been a huge red wave. It should have been one of the biggest red waves we’ve ever had. President Biden’s approval rating was so low, one of the lowest historically. More than 70% of the people thought the country was going in the wrong direction, and yet we still didn’t perform,” Hogan said Sunday.

“I think common-sense conservatives that focused on talking about issues people cared about like the economy and crime and education, they did win,” he continued. “But people who tried to re-litigate the 2020 election and focused on conspiracy theories and talked about things the voters didn’t care about, they were almost universally rejected.” (RELATED: ‘They’re Going To Have To Eat Their Words’: Kari Lake Fires Back At Those Turning Against Trump)

“I think it’s basically the third election in a row that Donald Trump has cost us the race. Three strikes, you’re out,” Hogan added.

Trump endorsed more than 400 candidates throughout the midterm cycle with a heavy emphasis on Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Despite the endorsements, Pennsylvanian voters elected a Democratic governor and senator. In Georgia, Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate David Perdue lost his primary challenge to incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp, who went on to win in the general, while Georgia’s Senate race will head to a December runoff. Republicans won Nevada’s gubernatorial election, but Senate candidate Adam Laxalt failed to oust incumbent Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto.

Arizona has yet to declare a winner in the state’s gubernatorial contest, in which Trump backed former news anchor Kari Lake, but Trump-endorsed Senate candidate Blake Masters lost his bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly.