Gov. Larry Hogan urges Marylanders to remain vigilant in face of rising COVID-19 cases across US

One-on-one interview with Maryland’s governor

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan is urging people in his state to remain vigilant in the face of rising COVID-19 cases around the country in a new interview FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald. 

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Maryland Governor Larry Hogan is urging people in his state to remain vigilant in the face of rising COVID-19 cases around the country in a new interview FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald.

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Hogan says while Maryland is doing better than 42 other states, cases and hospitalizations are ticking slightly up. Long term, the governor wants people to think what a second spike of COVID-19 could mean to Maryland public school students – like in Montgomery and Prince George's counties, whose classes went online 230 days ago.

"The damage to our kids not learning by not being in school is really a crisis at this point, and it’s why the state superintendent, and the state board of education, and our team have all been pushing to try to at least safely get some kids safely back into hybrid learning and get more kids back in the classrooms. The teachers' union is opposed but 19 of our counties are doing that, by the way," said Hogan.

The pandemic is also setting records for mail-in and early voting in Maryland.

Hogan created some headlines last week when he revealed that on his ballot he’d written in Ronald Reagan for president. In 2016, he wrote in his father’s name. FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald asked the governor why make such a move when the stakes in 2020 are so high?

"I didn’t expect my dad to win when I wrote his name in, and lots of people are writing me in by the way, which is kind of flattering, and I don’t intend to serve as president either, but I was saying I wanted to return our party to a Reagan-esqe bigger tent party where there’s a hopeful positive vision where he was willing to reach across the aisle to get things done," said Hogan.

As for his own presidential aspirations, Hogan had flirted with the idea of running this year before announcing he would not run. As for 2024? That’s up in the air. Hogan tells FOX 5 he’ll finish his term as governor in January 2023 and then consider any next step then.

You can watch FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald's full interview with Maryland Governor Larry Hogan this Sunday at 8:30 a.m. during FOX 5's “On The Hill."