Former Governor Larry Hogan has once again stepped into the public discourse, offering his perspective on the “state of politics in Maryland.” His recent comments, made in a May 2026 interview, portray a political landscape riddled with partisan divides and a general public disillusioned with both major parties. While Hogan, who announced in January 2026 his permanent retirement from seeking political office to focus on a leadership institute, often casts himself as a voice for moderation, his pronouncements conveniently gloss over the tangible, progressive advancements Maryland has made under its current Democratic leadership. His critique, though perhaps well-intentioned in its call for civility, ultimately serves as a distraction from the substantive policy shifts that are genuinely improving the lives of Marylanders, demonstrating that real progress demands more than just hand-wringing over partisan rancor.

The Current Reality

As of June 2026, Maryland stands as a robust Democratic trifecta, with Governor Wes Moore at the helm and Democratic supermajorities controlling both chambers of the General Assembly. This legislative alignment has empowered the state to enact a series of bold, progressive policies. Governor Moore, who successfully won his Democratic primary for re-election on June 23, 2026, has overseen a particularly productive 2026 legislative session.

The Moore-Miller Administration celebrated the passage of its entire legislative agenda, focusing on protecting residents, lowering costs, and fostering economic growth. Key among these achievements are:

  • The DECADE Act of 2026, a comprehensive economic development bill aimed at attracting and growing businesses through modernized programs and tax credit certainty for research and development.
  • The Maryland Transit & Housing Opportunity Act, which strategically unlocks underutilized land around high-capacity rail stations to spur affordable housing development and economic growth. This legislation includes expanded financial incentives for building affordable housing near transit.
  • The Protection from Predatory Pricing Act, a crucial measure preventing grocery stores and third-party delivery services from using personal data to set individualized, often discriminatory, prices for goods.
  • The Utility RELIEF Act, designed to hold large companies accountable, modernize grid infrastructure, and lower energy bills for families by investing in local clean energy projects and ensuring data centers contribute their fair share to energy costs.

In his February 2026 State of the State Address, Governor Moore underscored the administration’s commitment to lowering costs, proposing an additional $100 million in energy rebates and advocating for reforms to strengthen the energy market by expanding solar, wind, and storage capacity. His administration is also making record investments in public safety, leading to a reported 44% drop in homicides statewide and a 40% reduction in non-fatal shootings since he took office. Furthermore, the state has committed historic funding to K-12 education, with a proposed $10.2 billion investment for the 2027 fiscal year. On the environmental front, Moore’s administration is pursuing ambitious goals, including 100% clean energy by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2045, with a focus on equity in policy implementation.

Meanwhile, Larry Hogan, who lost a 2024 Senate bid to Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, has expressed being “somewhat jaded” by the Republican Party’s trajectory. He often laments the pervasive “gerrymandering” by both parties, calling it “a cancer on our democracy.” Hogan is now channeling his efforts into the nonpartisan Hogan Institute at Washington College, aiming to foster leaders who can transcend partisan divides.

A Progressive Critique

While former Governor Hogan’s pivot to decrying partisan gridlock and advocating for “common sense” solutions might resonate with some, a progressive analysis reveals the inherent limitations and even contradictions of this centrist framing. Hogan’s narrative of “both sides” being equally responsible for political dysfunction often sidesteps the fundamental ideological battles at play and the disproportionate impact of conservative policies. His past actions, such as vetoing a $15 minimum wage bill (later overridden by the legislature in 2019, with the wage set to reach $15 by 2026 for smaller businesses), illustrate a track record that, while appearing moderate, often stalled progressive advancements.

His critique of gerrymandering, while valid in principle, rings hollow when viewed through the lens of Republican efforts nationally to suppress votes and entrench minority rule. Furthermore, his “Never Trump” stance, while commendable to some, failed to fundamentally shift the Republican party, as evidenced by his own loss in the 2024 Senate race and the continued rise of far-right figures like Dan Cox, who won the 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary to challenge Wes Moore. Hogan himself blamed “collusion” between the Democratic Governors Association and Donald Trump for Cox’s 2022 primary win, where the DGA spent to promote the more extreme candidate. This highlights a strategic weakness in a purely anti-Trump, centrist approach: it often inadvertently empowers the very extremes it seeks to counter by not offering a compelling, proactively progressive alternative.

The “state of politics” Hogan describes as “broken” is not merely a matter of temperament or lack of bipartisanship; it is a battleground of competing visions for society. When the Democratic-led Maryland General Assembly passes legislation to protect consumers from predatory pricing or to unlock affordable housing, these are not just bipartisan compromises; they are explicit progressive policy choices addressing systemic inequities. Hogan’s focus on “leaders that will work together across the aisle” risks prioritizing performative unity over substantive justice and equity. True progress often requires challenging, not accommodating, corporate power and entrenched conservative interests.

The Path Forward

The path forward for Maryland, and indeed for the nation, lies not in a return to a vague, undefined centrism, but in the continued, vigorous pursuit of progressive policies that directly address the material needs of working families and vulnerable communities. Governor Wes Moore’s administration offers a compelling blueprint. The success of the Protection from Predatory Pricing Act showcases how state governments can actively combat corporate exploitation. The Maryland Transit & Housing Opportunity Act demonstrates a commitment to equitable development and tackling the housing crisis head-on.

For progressives, the mission is clear:

  1. Amplify Policy Victories: Highlight concrete achievements like the new consumer protections, affordable housing initiatives, and clean energy investments to demonstrate the tangible benefits of progressive governance. This counters the narrative that “nothing gets done” or that politics is merely squabbling.
  2. Challenge False Equivalencies: Directly confront the notion that all political division is equally harmful. Distinguish between principled disagreement over policy and obstructionism rooted in ideological extremism or corporate interests.
  3. Invest in Grassroots Power: Continue to build strong community organizations that can advocate for policies from the ground up, ensuring that legislative agendas remain responsive to the needs of the most impacted communities.
  4. Support Transformative Leadership: Elect and support leaders who are not afraid to champion bold, systemic changes rather than just incremental adjustments. The success of Governor Moore’s ambitious legislative agenda underscores the importance of having progressive champions in executive and legislative roles.

While Hogan’s new institute aims to teach leadership skills for a “broken” system, the real leadership is being demonstrated in Annapolis today, where a progressive agenda is actively working to mend societal fractures through concrete action, not just calls for civility. Maryland’s current trajectory proves that when progressives are empowered, they can deliver impactful, equitable solutions, setting a powerful example for the rest of the country.