It wasn’t exactly a power lunch, but former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and former Democratic state Sen. Bobby Zirkin attracted an enthusiastic crowd last week as they dined at the Essen Room in Pikesville.
Hogan was the guest of Zirkin, who is co-chair of Democrats for Hogan, in the former governor’s run for U.S. Senate. Hogan faces a tight race against Democratic Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. Democrats hold a razor-thin majority in the Senate, and some political pundits believe the outcome of this race could determine which party will control the Senate in 2025.
At the Essen Room, Hogan enjoyed a Reuben sandwich, while Zirkin munched on a corned beef sandwich, surrounded by patrons anxious to have their picture taken with the former two-term governor.
Zirkin, who is an attorney, has stayed largely out of politics since he resigned from the Maryland Senate in January 2020. At the time, he complained that politics had become too divisive and tainted by social media and special interest groups.
In an interview with the Baltimore Jewish Times, Zirkin said the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed more than 1200 and resulted in more than 240 people taken hostage, motivated him to become more involved in defending Israel.
“I usually don’t get fired up for a federal race. I always voted for Ben Cardin, Dutch Ruppersberger and John Sarbanes, but this is a different time for me,” Zirkin said.
“Larry will be Israel’s best friend in the United States Senate, and quite frankly, out of all the issues, that’s the one most important to me,” Zirkin added. “He’s been a friend of the Jewish community for as long as I’ve known him.”
After lunch, Hogan was questioned by reporters about his views on Israel and the lingering war in Gaza.
“It’s a tough humanitarian crisis,” Hogan said. “We don’t want to see all this suffering. I think everyone would like to see an end come to this, but the atrocities of Oct. 7 can’t be forgiven. You can’t let Hamas off the hook, so they [Israel] need to finish the job, and they [Hamas] shouldn’t be using innocent Palestinians as human shields. I was pleased to see the rescue of some of the hostages, but there are still a lot of people who have been there for eight months now.”
Asked what he thought about the military strategy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hogan replied, “I don’t want to second-guess the details of everything he’s doing. He’s the leader of their people, and we’ve had some people here say we need to remove him from office. Well, that’s not something that should ever happen. The people of Israel have a right to make a decision on who their leader should be.”
The former governor recently wrote a letter to 70 rabbis in Maryland in which he reaffirmed his support for Israel. In the letter, Hogan wrote, “If I have the honor of serving Maryland in the United States Senate, I will continue to stand with you. My commitment to supporting Maryland’s Jewish community and Israel remain unwavering.”
Earlier this year, the 70 rabbis wrote a letter to Sen. Chris Van Hollen, asking him to reconsider what they called anti-Israel statements following the October 7 attack. The letter accused Van Hollen of promoting what they referred to as “falsehoods” about Israel.
Zirkin said he and Hogan developed a close, working relationship while both served in Annapolis. He noted that the governor signed an executive order prohibiting the state from approving contracts with businesses that were part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.
“Taxpayer money should not be given to companies that are discriminating against Jews and against the state of Israel,” Zirkin said.
He added his strong support of Hogan has nothing to do with Angela Alsobrooks.
“I like Angela, I respect her, I’ve known her for years as state’s attorney, and she always did a good job,” Zirkin said.
Hogan’s appearance at the Essen Room came two days before former President Donald Trump declared his support for Hogan in the Senate race. After meeting with Republican leaders at the U.S. Capitol, Trump told a reporter, “Yeah, I’d like to see him win. And we got to take the majority. We have to straighten out our country, so I’d like to see him win. He’s somebody that can win.” Trump has previously referred to Hogan as a Republican in name only (RINO).
In response, the Maryland Democratic Party has paid for two billboards in Baltimore that seek to capitalize on Trump’s endorsement of Hogan.
In a statement, Maryland Democratic Party Chair Ken Ulman said, “The Democratic Party is committed to making sure every Marylander knows Donald Trump endorsed Larry Hogan, because he wants a Senate majority that’s beholden to Trump.”
In response, the Hogan campaign released a statement saying, “Governor Hogan has been clear. He is not supporting Donald Trump just as he didn’t in 2016 and 2020.”
Zirkin reiterated Hogan’s comments about the former president. “Trump and Hogan are not allies at all. Trump’s not trying to help Larry Hogan. They despise each other.
“Larry Hogan is everything that the fringes of the Republican Party and the fringes of the Democratic Party are not,” Zirkin added. “He is a true, bipartisan moderate, which is becoming all too rare in politics. The National Republican Party needs the Larry Hogans of the world in office to move them back to the center.”
