Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is launching a campaign for Senate, silencing rumors that he may launch a third-party presidential bid for the 2024 election cycle.

Hogan confirmed that he is running for the upper chamber in a video posted to X on Friday, the deadline to file for Maryland’s Senate race. He will join several others vying for the open Senate seat left vacant by retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD).

“I am running for the United States Senate – not to serve one party – but to stand up to both parties, fight for Maryland, and fix our nation’s broken politics,” the former governor said. “It’s what I did as Maryland’s governor, and it’s exactly how I’ll serve Maryland in the Senate. Let’s get back to work.”

Hogan drew on his father’s decision to be the first Republican to come out against the impeachment of former President Richard Nixon, stating it echoes his belief to “put aside party politics.”

“Today, Washington is completely broken, because that kind of leadership, that kind of willingness to put country over party, has become far too rare,” Hogan said in the video.

Hogan, a centrist who governed over a blue state, said for eight years he proved that “toxic politics” do not need to divide a state. He touted his administration’s accomplishments and his ability to work with a Democratic-led state legislature.

“We did it all by finding common ground for the common good,” Hogan said.

The former governor had left his plans vague following his departure from the governor’s mansion up until Friday. He recently stoked rumors that he was running for president after he stepped down from No Labels leadership as co-chairman in January. 

The third-party nonprofit organization launched a ballot access initiative this cycle looking to run a unity presidential ticket in November for voters who do not want a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Hogan said last year that he would not rule out a presidential bid as an alternative candidate for No Labels.

Now, he said he is running for Senate because he is “completely fed up” with “politics as usual,” claiming that Washington, D.C., lawmakers are “more interested in arguing than actually getting anything done” for their constituents.

“Enough is enough,” the former governor said. “We can do so much better, but not if we keep electing the same kind of typical partisan politicians.”

No Labels pointed the Washington Examiner to a statement posted on X celebrating Hogan’s announcement.

“We are ecstatic that @GovLarryHogan has announced he is running for US Senate. It’s never been clearer Washington needs more bipartisan problem solvers and Gov. Hogan has an unmatched track record of delivering commonsense leadership.”

Hogan has already launched a campaign website, but its contents are marked by Lorem Ipsum, a place placeholder text used for previewing layouts for design.

The former Republican governor’s entry in the race hands the GOP a prominent candidate to rally behind, which will be necessary for the party, as it faces an uphill battle in a heavily blue state. Seven Republicans have filed to enter the GOP primary, but none is as well known as Hogan. Maryland has not had a Republican senator in 37 years.

However, Hogan and the Republican Party could benefit from Democrats being divided in the two-person Maryland Senate race. House Democrats like Minority Leader  Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and his deputies are throwing their support behind Rep. David Trone (D-MD), while people such as Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) to Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) are endorsing Angela Alsobrooks, the two-term executive of Prince George’s County.

Despite Hogan’s call for bipartisanship, Trone condemned Hogan’s entry into the Senate race as a “desparate attempt to return Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump to power.”

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“Marylanders are tired of empty promises from career politicians like Larry Hogan,” the Democratic congressman said in a statement. “During his time as governor, Larry Hogan neglected and failed the city of Baltimore, pushed for policies that kicked 200,000 Marylanders off the voter rolls, and cut backroom deals to benefit developers like himself at the expense of Maryland taxpayers. He talks about putting politics aside but spent his entire tenure as governor waging partisan attacks through bad policy.”

“His decision to join hands and walk lockstep with the patron saint of voter suppression, Mitch McConnell, and the special interests he serves in the Senate isn’t surprising, and Maryland voters won’t be fooled,” Trone continued.