John Hogan enters Liberal leadership with splashy launch, bolstered by party stalwarts
Hogan's entrance in stark contrast to John Abbott's understated announcement Tuesday
Windsor Lake MHA John Hogan entered the Liberal leadership race Thursday with a splashy launch, surrounded by influential party members, indicating he's the insiders' choice to replace Premier Andrew Furey.
"As leader, I'm going to bring my experiences as a minister, MHA, as a lawyer and as a father to a critical point in Newfoundland and Labrador's history and to its future," Hogan said to a room full of supporters crammed into a hotel meeting area.
He also made it clear that if elected, he will follow the same political path Furey's walking when it comes to health care, a new energy deal for the Churchill River, and fighting back against what he called unjust and unlawful tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump.
"I decided to enter politics because I believed in Premier Furey's vision for our province," he said.
MHAs rally behind Hogan
Hogan made his announcement inside a hotel ballroom in his St. John's' district, cheered on by about half of the 22-member Liberal caucus, influential Liberal organizers such as John Allan, and a cast of current and former senior political staffers, many of whom have been key Furey advisors.
Some MHAs, including Krista Lynn Howell, Jamie Korab and Elvis Loveless, have thrown their full support behind Hogan.
Hogan is a city lawyer and father of two young children. He will celebrate his 47th birthday on Friday.
He was introduced by Howell, who represents a rural district on the Northern Peninsula and tried to help Hogan connect with small-town Newfoundland and Labrador.
"He always tries his best to find a solution and recognizes the unique challenges that I face in a rural community," she said.
Other MHAs such as John Haggie and Perry Trimper say they'll wait until the close of nominations on March 24 before offering their support to a particular candidate, but they also made it clear that Hogan has what it takes.
"I feel he's an excellent candidate for this leadership race," said Trimper, who said he'll consult with his Lake Melville district association about where his support will go.
Hogan's lively and time-honoured political event, complete with "John Hogan 2025" placards and stickers, was in stark contrast to John Abbott's event on Tuesday.
Abbott, the MHA for St. John's East-Quidi Vidi, called reporters to a media availability inside the front lobby of Confederation Building to declare his candidacy, with only a handful of supporters on hand. Abbott said he does have the support of some of his elected colleagues, but none were there.
So it's shaping up to be a replay of the 2020 leadership race when Abbott, the outsider with limited party support, faced Andrew Furey, with the party machine at his side.
A potential third candidate, Labrador MP Yvonne Jones, plans to reveal on Friday whether she will enter the race or not.
Hogan, meanwhile, is closely connected to the outgoing premier, having managed Furey's 2020 leadership campaign, and was subsequently encouraged by Furey to run in the 2021 provincial election.
In that election, Hogan received more than 50 per cent of the vote and defeated PC Leader and incumbent Ches Crosbie.
Furey displayed his confidence in Hogan by naming him Justice and Public Safety Minister in the spring of 2021, and after longtime MHA Tom Osborne resigned from politics last summer, Hogan was shuffled to the health and community services portfolio.
WATCH | About half of the Liberal caucus showed up to cheer on John Hogan:
Hogan has also served as the province's attorney general.
"I'm ready to take the wheel and I'll navigate our province through these ever changing economic and social changes to build upon the work and achievements of our government and demonstrate to the world just what Newfoundland and Labrador stands for," said Hogan.
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