Former President Donald Trump is backing Larry Hogan for Maryland’s open U.S. Senate seat — a potentially polarizing move in the competitive race.

Trump’s support was first reported by Fox News on Thursday afternoon, and came after the former president met with Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Fox reporter Aishah Hasnie asked the former president if he would support Hogan’s run. Trump responded: “I’m about the party and I’m about the country. And I would like to see him win.”

Hogan, the former two-term Republican governor of Maryland, faces a challenging task keeping a divided Republican Party in his corner while still appealing to enough Democrats to win a statewide race. Hogan has a long record of criticizing Trump and did not vote for him in the past two presidential elections.

The story continues at The Baltimore Banner: Trump backs Republican nominee Larry Hogan in Maryland’s US Senate race

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