Lawrence Joseph Hogan Jr. (born May 25, 1956) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 62nd governor of Maryland from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party and son of three-term US representative Lawrence Hogan, he also served as chair of the National Governors Association from 2019 to 2020. Hogan unsuccessfully campaigned for Maryland's 5th congressional district in 1981 and 1992, the latter of which was incumbent Steny Hoyer's closest race. He then served in the cabinet of governor Bob Ehrlich from 2003 to 2007 as Maryland Secretary of Appointments. In 2011, Hogan founded the Change Maryland organization, which he used to promote his 2014 gubernatorial campaign. He campaigned as a moderate Republican and defeated Democrat Anthony Brown in the 2014 general election. He was reelected in 2018, defeating Democrat Ben Jealous, to become Maryland's first two-term Republican governor since Theodore McKeldin. He was term limited from running for a third term in 2022 and was succeeded as governor by Democrat Wes Moore. Hogan left office as one of the most popular governors in the United States with a 77% approval rating.After leaving office, Hogan was initially seen as a likely contender for the Republican nomination for president of the United States in the 2024 presidential election but he has declined to seek the nomination. On February 9, 2024, Hogan filed and launched a campaign to run for U.S. Senate in Maryland, seeking to succeed retiring incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Ben Cardin.